Harry Potter and the Past's Forgotten Mysteries
by Julia Holtemore
Summary: COMPLETE! Post HBP. There's 4 more horcruxes to destroy, Voldemort's wreaking havoc not only on the wizarding world, but also Harry's mind, and Ginny Weasley refuses to be ignored. HPGW and a little RWHG. Sequel Deleted Sry, but my heart wasn't in FGG.
1. A Hasty Retreat

Author's Note: Okay, this is the story of the seventh book of Harry Potter. I have titled it "Harry Potter and the Past's Forgotten Mysteries." Anyway, please review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter One

A Hasty Retreat

Crickets were chirping outside on the street of Privet Drive. Mrs. Arabella Figg's tabby cat, Mr. Tibbles, was meowing mournfully from three doors up. Night was falling fast on the town of Little Whinging. On this late summer's eve children were in bed while drowsy adults sat by the television, sipping cool drinks before retiring. But inside number four, in an upper room overlooking the calm street, there was much excitement going on.

Harry Potter was scrambling about the room, throwing strange things into an already overflowing trunk at the foot of his bed. All of his old spell books, his pewter cauldron, a moving photo album with pictures of his parents, and a jumble of wizard's robes were already piled into the trunk. He picked up his copy of _A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ as he turned to speak to his best friend in the whole world, Ron Weasley.

"Are you sure we have to leave _tonight!_ It seems like they would have given us a little more warning! I mean, Bill and Fleur are getting _married_. They would have sent out invitations, or something!"

Ron was frantically throwing things into his trunk as well. "I _told_ you, they did! The wedding is tomorrow evening. Errol must have collapsed or got lost or something. They sent him ages ago. That's when the note was dated, anyway."

Errol was the Weasley family owl. He was very old and didn't always complete his missions. Harry recalled a time when Errol had to enlist the help of two other owls to deliver something to Harry.

"I'm just so exhausted. You know, I think last night was a poor choice for staying up all night playing Exploding Snap," said Harry, rubbing his bright green eyes and sinking onto his bed.

"Yeah, well we can at least get a few hours of sleep. Hermione's gone to tell Mum we'll be a little late." Ron sighed, sitting onto his own camp bed and pushing his flaming red hair out of his face. "But I really want to get out of here."

"You think _you're_ sick of this place? I've had to live with my aunt and uncle for sixteen years! I've never been more ready to leave in my life."

Harry's aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, had grudgingly allowed Harry to live with them since he was one year old, after his mother (Petunia's sister) and father had been murdered by the most powerful dark wizard of the age, the evil Lord Voldemort. Harry had to endure his aunt and uncle's horrible treatment, as well as the abusive behavior of his massive cousin, Dudley. But Harry was turning seventeen tomorrow, which is the age of adulthood in the wizarding world, so he would finally be able to leave for good.

"Yes well, all the more reason to retreat back to the Burrow." They sat on their beds for a long while, their tired, puffy eyes staring off into space. Suddenly Ron burst out, "Oh I can't stand this anymore!" He threw back his covers and crawled into bed. "Come on, Harry. Let's get some sleep. We can finish packing when Hermione gets back in a few hours."

Not needing telling twice, Harry threw back his own covers. "Good night," he murmured, removing his glasses and laying down. He closed his eyes and almost instantly fell asleep.

"Harry! Harry, get up! Get _up_! Where's something to throw at him?"

"Oh Ron, you're so tactless."

"Well, he won't wake up! We've got to go!"

"Here, let _me_ do it."

Harry felt something warm brush his cheek. Then a very familiar voice whispered in his ear. "Harry, happy birthday!"

Harry opened his eyes. Someone was very close to him. He couldn't tell who it was; there was a kind of white and orange blur. He reached over to his bedside table, grabbed his glasses, and put them on. It took a moment for his eyes to focus, but when they did he jumped with a start.

"Well, it's nice to see you too!" Ginny Weasley was sitting on Harry's bed, smiling and brushing back her beautiful long red hair.

"Yeah, well if that's what it takes to wake him up, I'll leave the kissing to you."

Harry turned his head and saw Ron already up and grabbing his minute owl, Pigwidgeon, and throwing him into his cage. Harry turned back to Ginny.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, well, I thought I'd come and see my long lost boyfriend, so Hermione brought me here. Side-along-apparition." She smiled and looked to where Hermione was standing a little ways behind her, grinning behind her bushy brown hair.

"Hello again," Hermione said. "You get a good sleep?"

Harry was just about to answer when Ron interrupted him.

"He'd better have gotten a good sleep! We're really late. We were supposed to be gone by midnight, and it's all ready half past! Get up, lazy bones!"

"Ron, it's his birthday!" Hermione said scoldingly, reminding Harry strongly of Ron and Ginny's mother.

"Hey!" Harry sat up suddenly. "It _is_ my birthday!"

"You caught on quick," said Ron, smiling. "And I wish you a good one."

"Thanks," Harry replied. "It ought to be! I can finally do magic outside of school! I can't wait to jinx Dudley!" He snatched up his wand and forced himself out of bed. It was, after all, just past midnight, and he and Ron had pulled an all-nighter only the day before.

Hermione put on a very stern face. "Harry, you know you can't do that! That's against the-"

"Yeah, Yeah. The decree for something with Muggles, etc.," Harry interrupted, too used to Hermione's longwinded speeches about breaking rules. "Fine, I won't jinx him. But Uncle Vernon, on the other hand-"

"Oh ha ha. Anyway, Voldemort can do magic at here now, too. So I agree with Ron." Hermione checked her watch. "We'd better get going."

"Yeah, get up and get dressed. Hermione and I will leave the room." Ginny stood and walked toward the door.

"Wait!" said Harry in desperation, standing up. "Ginny, why are you here?"

"I told you," she said smartly, "I came to see my boyfriend."

Harry felt very confused. "But, Ginny. Don't you remember what we agreed on ...that day?" Harry asked, not wanting to mention the sad event that happened a few weeks ago when their beloved headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, had been murdered.

"Of course I do," she replied, "though I can hardly say that I _agreed_. I've waited long enough. I don't care what happens. I miss you and I _know_ you miss me." And with that she walked out the door after Hermione and closed it. Harry was left to stare after her.

"Well, it looks like you've got no choice, mate. I grew up with her, and when she sets her mind to something, that's it. There's no changing back." Ron put on a sly smile.

Harry looked back at the door for another moment, then turned to Ron. "I see you're taking this well," Harry said, grinning as he began to pull off his pajamas.

Ron shrugged. "I figure that it's the inevitable. Besides, I've got my own girl to worry about."

Ron and Hermione had finally gotten together at the end of last year. Whenever Hermione popped in to say "hi" they were always together. They usually acted normally, but those spare few minutes when Harry would leave the room were somewhat awkward to interrupt upon return.

When the boys had changed, they let the girls back in. Harry and Ron were gathering a few last minute items before they left, and banging about rather loudly.

"Shh!" Hermione whispered. "We don't want to wake Harry's aunt and uncle!"

"I couldn't care less," Harry said, not bothering to speak softly. "I'm finally leaving! They can't complain."

Hermione muttered something to the floor about, "common courtesy..."

"Have they _ever_ shown me common courtesy?" said Harry defiantly. "Or any of you, for that matter?"

They all reflected back to the end of term last month, when they had gotten off the Hogwarts express. Ron and Harry had walked up to the Dursleys and Dudley had scrambled to the car clutching his bottom. Uncle Vernon said something very rude to Ron and had turned away. Then Harry had informed his aunt and uncle the he would be having a friend to stay with him over the summer. Aunt Petunia had gone deathly white, and managed to stumble back to the car before she fainted. Uncle Vernon had turned instantly purple with his vein popping out. But before he could embarrass himself in front of all of the people at King's Cross, Harry conveniently mentioned that Ron was now of age and could do magic outside of school whenever he liked. To that Uncle Vernon had gone extraordinarily pale, turned abruptly around, and headed back to the car. Ron and Harry had to run to catch up.

"Good point," said Ron, coming out of his reverie. "So we really should leave."

"Are you still going to apparate there, even though neither of you have your license?" Hermione sniffed.

"Yeah, why not?" Ron replied fiercely. "I only failed by half an eyebrow and Harry has been able to do it for ages. He even went halfway across the country with Dumble-"

He fell silent. They all looked at the ground. The loss had still not healed in the slightest. It had only been a month ago, after all. Finally, after many moments of quiet, Ginny raised her head.

"Well," she whispered, "we'd better go. Mum is expecting you, and she doesn't even know that I'm out of bed."

They put all of their stuff into a neat pile. Hermione flicked her wand and it all disappeared to the Burrow, just as Dumbledore had done only a year before.

"Well, let's go. Hermione, do you mind if I go with Harry?" Ginny asked politely.

"Not at all! But Harry, you should really write a note to your family. You might not ever see them again."

"I hope so!" He said excitedly. But to Hermione's stern look he added, "Oh all right." Harry sighed, snatched up a piece of parchment, and wrote a hasty farewell note.

Dear Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley,

Thanks for everything. Sorry for all the trouble.

Bye.

Your Nephew,

Harry

He placed it on his bed and turned back to his friends.

"Shall we go then?"

They all spread out and prepared for departure. Hermione closed the window so the sounds wouldn't carry into the night.

"We should take turns. Ron, why don't you go first?" Hermione stepped back so he would have more space. Ron stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed in pained concentration. For a moment nothing happened, and then...

CRACK!

He was no longer there.

"Well, you two should go next. I can stay behind in case anything goes wrong," said Hermione.

"Nah, you go ahead. We'll need more room with two people. If there's no one here it'll be... er... easier," Harry said, hoping she had bought it.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Hermione grinned. Then she stepped forward into the middle of the room and CRACK! She was gone too.

"Ready?" said Harry, looking down at Ginny.

"More than ever," she replied, smiling up at him.

They stepped forward into the middle of the room. Ginny snaked her arm through his and gripped it firmly.

"Wait a minute." Harry took Ginny's arm and turned her to face him. Then he put a gentle hand on her cheek and kissed her: a long, gentle kiss that seemed timeless. The concerns around them seemed to disappear for one fleeting moment as they found solace in each other's arms. When he finally pulled back, he grinned at her.

"You were right. I did miss you."

She smiled back at him. "I told you so."

Harry looked deep into her eyes, and felt himself getting lost in them. Why had he let go? Where would he ever be without her? How could he have pushed her aside so easily?

But then... it hadn't been easy. Since that fateful day when he had forced himself to end it he had felt completely and utterly lost in a cruel world. Every day he had spent without her, knowing they were no longer together, had ripped at his heart.

"Ginny?" said Harry hesitantly.

"Hmm?" she asked, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes.

"I love you."

They were silent for a moment as the three words seemed to echo about the room. Harry was scared that Ginny would throw herself from him, angry at him for moving much too fast. Then Ginny slowly opened her eyes and stared up at him.

"Do you mean that?" she asked, sounding anxious.

Harry nodded. "More than you'll ever know."

Ginny seemed to glow as she went on her toes and kissed him back. "On the contrary, Mr. Potter, I already know," she said, smiling. "Because I love you, too."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling happier than he had been since the end of last term. He hugged her tightly, trying to imprint forever in his memory this wonderful moment. But then he remembered all that had happened and what his trials ahead might lead to, he frowned slightly.

"But, Ginny," he said worriedly. "What if-"

"Shh." She put her finger to his lips while he was in mid sentence. "Let's just not worry about it. Time to go." She took his arm again. "Ready?"

"Ready," Harry replied, taking one final look around the room. He had been raised in this house since he was one year old. There were so many memories, though most were not very comforting. He struggled to find something that might make him regret leaving and make this place feel like home, any simple happy memory here. In the closet to his right was where he had hid Dobby the house elf from Uncle Vernon when he was twelve. Harry smiled at the thought. But then Dobby had wreaked havoc in the kitchen, causing Harry to be locked in his room for days and nearly expelled from Hogwarts. No, that wasn't exactly the best time of his life. What about the time when Harry had unleashed the zoo snake on Dudley? Yes, that was very funny, but then he was locked in his cupboard with almost nothing to eat for a week. Harry ran through every memory he could dredge up from this place, trying to find one that had not ended for worse.

Well, there was that time when Hagrid came with a letter from Hogwarts and told him he was a wizard. And that time when Ron and his twin brothers had rescued him and caused Uncle Vernon to fall out of the window. The next year Harry had finally taken revenge out on his  
Aunt Marge and had blown her up to the size of a hot air balloon. He had been frightened of being caught at the time, but he never got punished for it. Then there was that time when the Weasleys had come to get him and had caused Dudley's tongue to swell to the size of a small alligator. That had been Fred and George's doing. Then there was a band of Aurors that had taken him to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix via a fantastic ride on his Firebolt broomstick. Then Dumbledore himself had come to take him away, scaring the Dursleys half to death. And now Ginny had come and he was going back with her to the Burrow, forever leaving this place. _Well, there was no doubt about it, _Harry thought. _The only good memories I've ever had here were when I was leaving._ Deciding to make the most of this revelation, Harry grasped Ginny's hand and she squeezed it gently.

"One... Two... Three!"

And they turned together into blackness.


	2. The Wedding

Chapter 2

The Wedding

The suffocating vacuum of apparating dissipated as the cool night materialized in front of Harry and Ginny, who were feeling slightly windswept. All was quiet for a moment, and then Ron burst out.

"Finally! What took you so long? We've been waiting here for at least fifteen minutes. I was a just about to come after you lot."

"Oh," said Harry, realizing he had no excuse to give. "We were..."

"There's no need to tell us," said Hermione hastily. "We get the picture." Harry became very thankful for the darkness, which masked his reddened face.

"It's a pity we couldn't have apparated into the house," said Ginny. "Mum's guaranteed to catch me. That blasted clock knows everything." She was referring to the clock in the Weasley Kitchen that told where ever family member was, rather than the time

"Yes, but all of our hands have been pointing at "mortal peril" since You-Know-Who came into the open. So no need to worry, eh?" Ron pointed out.

"Guess again, Ronnykins."

All four of them jumped out of their skins at the sound of a fifth voice, which laughed joyously at their reaction. Fred and George stepped into their range of vision.

"You two," Ron said angrily. "When I get my hands on you-"

"Save it," Fred interrupted. "Mum's gone ballistic. She's been worried sick about you three arriving so late. And as for Ginny..." he turned to her, "I suggest you volunteer to do our chores for about a month."

"Why? Mum will just assign them to me anyway when I get in there."

"No she won't, because she doesn't know. We'll stick up for you, of course, but it will require your services..." George said.

"No, thanks. I think I can handle myself," she said in a very final tone.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged. "We gave you a chance." The twins turned around and headed toward the house.

"Those two," said Ginny, brow furrowed. "Er, I'd better get inside. I'll sneak around back. See you in the morning!" She gave Harry's hand a warm squeeze and stalked off into the darkness.

"Come on. If Mum is already worried, we'd better get there quick as we can." Ron marched ahead of the other two across the yard to the front door. As soon as they stepped onto the doorstep the lights in the kitchen flicked on and there was a muffled scream.

"You're here!" Mrs. Weasley cried, ushering them inside and hugging them each in turn. "Oh we _missed_ you! And where have you been? You were supposed to be here hours ago! I've been worried sick!" She threw her arms around Ron and held him tightly.

"Mum, I can't breathe!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry dear," she said, letting him go a little reluctantly. "So," she said, looking at all three of them, "Did you have a strong desire to scare me half to death, or are you just fashionably late?" she asked accusingly.

"We didn't even get your letter until a few hours ago!" Ron said defensively.

"And why on earth didn't you leave then?" Mrs. Weasley said, hands on her hips.

"Well..." Ron began.

Harry tried to help. "We, er..."

"They had stayed up all night the night before playing Exploding Snap," Hermione cut in, giving the boys an exasperated look. "They wanted a few hours sleep."

"Ah, I see." said Mrs. Weasley. "Well, in that case, it's off to bed with you. We've got a big day tomorrow, what with the wedding and all, so I want you to get some sleep." As they started shuffling up the stairs, Mrs. Weasley called after them quietly. "And be quiet up there. Fred and George are sleeping in your room, Ron, and Ginny is in hers."

"And I'm _sure_ they're all sleeping right now," Ron muttered sarcastically.

"We also have a guest, so don't talk! Just go to bed. _Bed!_" Mrs. Weasley added, seeing Ron open his mouth to say something.

They marched quietly up the stairs, not speaking to each other. It had just hit Harry how tired he was. He dragged his feet to the top level of the house, where Ron's room rested precariously. He and Ron said goodnight to Hermione, and they stumbled into the room. Fred and George were snoring loudly, so they said nothing as they crawled into bed. As soon as Harry's head hit the pillows, he felt his consciousness slipping and appreciatively fell asleep.

He was walking in a forest; it was dark and quiet. As he moved further in, he began to hear voices. Voices that were very familiar to him.

"_Harry, I can't believe you could do such a thing."_ It sounded like Hermione. _"We trusted you for years, and you went off and did this!"_

"What?" Harry asked, confused. "What did I do?"

Ron's voice floated to his ears. _"You killed Cedric."_

"No! It wasn't my fault!" Harry shouted, whirling around, looking for his friends. But only their voices came to him, haunting him in the depths of the forest.

"_Yes it was!" _interrupted Hermione._ "And Sirius. All your fault."_

"It was an accident!" Harry cried out. "I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"_But it did."_

"No! I-"

"_And now,"_ came Ginny's voice, completely disgusted, _"now you've killed Dumbledore. I can't believe you. I never want to see you again, you monster!"_

"Ginny!" Harry called out. "Ginny, no! I didn't. Please! Ron! Hermione! I- I'm sorry!"

"_Sorry is not good enough, you bloody murderer!" _the voice echoed throughout the forest.

Harry ran, trying to get away from the voices. Branches whipped across his face as he sprinted into a clearing. Suddenly, he stopped dead.

High above him, staining the starry sky, was an emerald green skull with a snake protruding out of its mouth. The Dark Mark. He looked wildly around him. He was standing amongst bodies, all pale and lifeless. When he stepped closer to see who they were he gasped. Hermione was lying dead on the ground. He backed away from her and tripped, falling to the earth. He turned to see what he had tripped over, and he found himself staring into Ron's lifeless eyes. Scrambling to his feet, he realized that everyone he cared for was in this clearing, all of them dead. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Fred. George. Lupin. Neville. Luna. Ginny...

"NO!" Harry screamed, falling to his knees in anguish. "_Who did this_?" he yelled into the night. A high, cold voice laughed softly in his ear.

"Come, Harry. Come and finish what we started," it cackled.

Suddenly Harry's scar seared with pain, blinding him completely. It was pain beyond imagining. He felt sick and dizzy. He just wanted to let go and die...

"Harry! HARRY!"

His eye's snapped open. He was drenched in sweat and clutching his scar, which was burning painfully. Breathing heavily, Harry tried to make sense of the blurry shapes swimming across his vision.

"_Harry!_"

Ron's pale face came into view, shaking him awake. Fred and George were on the other side of him, looking alarmed. Harry suddenly felt very sick and retched over the side of the bed.

"Watch it!" said George, stepping back.

Trembling uncontrollably, Harry grimaced and swallowed heavily. "S-sorry." He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and tried to get up. He was pushed back down, for which he felt grateful. His scar was still throbbing.

The door to the bedroom burst open, and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny came filing in.

"What happened?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, assessing the scene, and rushing to Harry's bedside, feeling his forehead.

"He-he was muttering in his sleep," Ron began.

"Something about it being all his fault," Fred interrupted.

"And then he started having a fit, clutching his scar," George finished.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, "You don't have a fever. Are you alright, Harry dear?"

Harry started to nod his head, but had to stop quickly for fear it might fall off. "I just... had a bad dream. That's all."

"That must have been some bad dream, to make you react like that," said George disbelievingly.

"Yeah, do all bad dreams make you're scar hurt?" asked Fred.

Harry frowned as he thought for a moment, still trembling a bit. "No, actually. It... It usually doesn't," he said, rubbing his forehead absently. "It hasn't done that for more than a year."

"Yes, didn't Professor Dumbledore say that Voldemort was practicing Occlumency against you?" asked Hermione, while all of the Weasleys winced at the sound of the name.

"Yeah," said Harry, sitting up, this time to no objections. "He... he didn't want me in his head. He didn't want me to see his plans." Everyone around him suddenly paled, looking more worried than before.

"You don't think You-Know-Who is trying to do you in through your dreams again..." said Ron uncertainly. "Do you?"

"Harry, what was your dream about?" asked Ginny.

He looked around at them all. He really ought to tell them, he knew that. They had all been in it, anyway. _But you can't,_ said a voice in his head. _They'll never look at you the same way again. _

"I... I don't remember," said Harry, looking away. They all stared at him, as if to say, "I can't believe you're trying to pull that on us. We _know_ you still remember."

"Come on, Harry, you can tell us!" Fred cajoled.

"No, really, my scar hurt so bad I kind of blocked it out, I guess," said Harry, trying to sound as casual as possible.

They all looked at him curiously. Mrs. Weasley pressed a little further. "Are you _sure_, Harry?"

He looked into her eyes for a moment, wishing he could tell her, but he couldn't. Speaking it aloud would make it too real.

"Yeah," he lied. "I'm sure."

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley in a tone as if to say there was nothing more to it. "That's that. Ron, if you will please-"

"What about Harry's scar, though?" asked George. "That only hurts when it has something to do with You-Know-Who, right Harry?"

Harry touched it gingerly. The pain was gone now, but it had hurt so much a moment ago that he wanted to be careful. "Yeah," he replied. "But I wouldn't worry too much about it," he said, trying to shrug it off. He looked around for a clock. "What time is it?"

Fred looked at his watch. "Five thirty in the morning."

Mrs. Weasley gasped. "Is it really?" She rushed to the door. "I've got to start breakfast! Will someone wake the others? _How_ they slept through this commotion, I don't know, but we need to get to work!" She opened the door and stepped out, then popped her head back in for a moment. "Harry dear, you can sleep a little longer. You've had a rough night."

"That's alright Mrs. Weasley," said Harry, hurrying out of bed. "I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now anyway." He said quickly before she could protest.

"Alright then. You lot," she commanded to the group as a whole, "downstairs. We'll eat breakfast and then get to work. We need this house spotless before the rest of the guests arrive."

Ginny yawned particularly loudly as she made her way toward the door.

"Oh Mum, can I get a few minutes more sleep?" she pleaded.

"Why are you so tired?" asked Mrs. Weasley, raising one eyebrow. "You went to bed early last night!"

"Oh, I... er..." said Ginny, blushing slightly, and glancing at Harry. Mrs. Weasley followed her gaze. Harry tried his best to look politely puzzled, so she wouldn't suspect.

"I don't know what's going on here, but you are not going to have a lie in today. There is too much to do!" said Mrs. Weasley. They all shuffled downstairs, completely forgetting about Harry's dream as they thought about the day ahead. They arrived in the kitchen and sat at the table as Mrs. Weasley bustled about the room making breakfast. The others in the house arrived shortly afterward: Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, and a man with dark brown hair that Harry didn't recognize, and who stifled a yawn, asking, "What's for breakfast?"

Bill introduced him. "Harry, I'd like you to meet my old school mate, Jeremiah Fust," Bill said, ushering the man forward. "He's to be the justice of the peace at our wedding."

"Hi, Harry. Pleased to meet you," said Jeremiah, shaking Harry's hand and grinning.

"Hello, Mr. Fust" Harry replied back.

"Please call me Jer."

"And you met Hermione last night..." Bill said, gesturing to Harry and Ron's bushy haired friend.

"Echanté mademoiselle." Jer did a kind of over done bow in Hermione's direction. She blushed and waved back.

"And of course, you've met my family..."

"Only known 'em my whole life," Jeremiah smiled. The rest of the Weasleys nodded in agreement, greeting him as another member of the family.

"There's a spot for you here, Jer," said Fred, shoving Ron aside.

"Hey!" grumbled Ron, spilling porridge down his front.

"Oh don't be such a sissy, Ronnykins," said Fred, vanishing the stain lazily with his wand, and patting the now vacant space next to him. "Come on, Jer."

They all gathered around the table awkwardly (there were so many of them), discussing various things through stuffed cheeks. Harry was content to listen to all the different ones, rather than pitch in.

"-So then I said, " Charlie was saying excitedly from down the table, "'I don't give a flying Hippogriff!' The man was so scared of me that he ran all the way down the street in his underwear! Needless to say, he never bothered me again," He finished, forking some more bacon into his mouth.

Fred and Ron were in a heated argument about a fantastic wizard chess game they'd played nine years ago.

"_I_ won, remember? I took you're knight when you checked me!"

"No," said Ron hotly, "I would never give you such a good set up. Face it; you've never beaten me at a chess game in your life! Right Dad?"

But Mr. Weasley was engrossed in a story Jeremiah was telling about a Muggle transaction he'd held in Madrid.

"...I tried to tell them I didn't speak Spanish, but of course, they couldn't understand me. So I attempted to use my own version of sign language. Pretty soon I had those policemen all over me, shouting, 'Él es loco! Él es loco!' I modified their memories and apparated out of there as quick as possible. But I still didn't get my package!"

Mrs. Weasley was still fussing about Bill's hair.

"_Please_ just let me give it a nice trim! It's your wedding day! You ought to smart yourself up a bit!"

"_No, Mum!_" said Bill, ducking away from Mrs. Weasley's wand. "If my fiancée likes it, why should you care? Besides, I can't smart myself up when I've got these scars all over my face!" he said. Bill's face was still slightly disfigured from a werewolf attack he'd sustained a few weeks ago.

"But-"

Harry didn't hear Mrs. Weasley's reply, however, because he had just caught something Hermione was whispering to Ginny two seats up.

"I'm _worried_ Ginny!" Hermione said desperately. "If his scar is hurting again-"

"Shh! He's right there!" They both gave him a shifty glance, and he quickly looked away, pretending to be very interested in his pumpkin juice. Satisfied, Hermione turned back to Ginny.

"Ginny, if You-Know-Who is trying to get at his head again, he needs to practice Occlumency! He is so stubborn that he won't listen to anyone. You're the only one who can convince him!"

"I'm not going to make him do something he doesn't want to do," said Ginny defiantly.

_That's my girl,_ Harry thought, smiling to himself._ You tell her._

"But Ginny, this is more important than what he does or does not want to do! This is his safety we're talking about! Or have you forgotten about what happened last time Voldemort fed him messages through his dreams? He nearly died! Have you forgotten that?"

"No," said Ginny, sounding a little more subdued. "No, I haven't forgotten."

They were quiet for a moment, and then Hermione gently asked, "So... will you talk to him?"

Ginny sighed. "Yes, I'll talk to him tonight."

Harry felt very betrayed by this and didn't listen to anyone else's conversations much after that. Soon all the food was consumed and everybody stood, ready to begin preparations for the wedding. They were assigned chores and split up to complete them. Doing various tasks to straighten up the place proved to be fairly easy since all but Ginny were now able to use magic. All they had to do was clip the hedges outside, as well as set up chairs in the yard out back. They also had to dust the family room, sweep the floor, and do the dishes. Fred and George spent quite a lot of time teasing the ghoul in the attic, whom they were supposed to be persuading to keep quiet for the next few hours, for which Mrs. Weasley reprimanded them. But all in all, they had quite a lot of fun with their work, enjoying each other's company and the interesting discussions.

While Harry and Ron were peeling potatoes, Harry asked, "So what is the difference between a Muggle wedding and a Wizard wedding?"

"Oh not much, I suppose," said Ron casually. "Everything's the same, except that it's all magicked."

"Magicked? How so?" Harry asked.

"You know, self-refilling bottles of butterbeer, fairies lighting the isle, that sort of thing. I think you'll find this wedding to be quite normal, otherwise."

A flowery voice with a French accent came from the back door. "_Normal?_ Non non non! My wedding? Ce n'est pas normal!"

Harry and Ron stopped what they were doing and turned to the door, watching Fleur Delacour let herself into the Burrow. Bill ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Fleur!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her. "I haven't seen you in weeks! You weren't supposed to get back from France for another few hours!"

"I know," she said, glowing up at Bill, "But I couldn't stay zere anuzzer moment wizzout you. Besides, my parents wanted to meet everyone."

A couple had shuffled in behind Fleur, completely unnoticed by anyone. They looked very stylish in matching silk robes of a delicate sea foam blue. Shyly, a little girl walked through the door behind them. As she looked around the room, she spotted Harry and beamed. Harry grinned back. He had met Fleur's little sister, Gabrielle, about two and a half years ago at Hogwarts when he had rescued her from the lake during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

"Hi, Gabrielle," said Harry pleasantly.

She hid herself behind her mother and called softly, "Bonjour, 'arry."

He and Ron laughed lightly at her timid manner, but were interrupted by Fleur's introductions.

"'Arry, Ron, zees are my parents, Jacques and Geneviève Delacour."

"Bonjour," said Monsieur Delacour. Fleur's mother simply nodded.

"Forgive zem. Zey aren't very good with English yet," she added before continuing. "And of course, you have both met my sister, Gabrielle..."

Harry and Ron nodded; Gabrielle hid further behind her mother.

"Well," said Fleur, turning back to her parents, "I suppose I ought to introduce you to everyone else. Come, Bill. Let's show zem around."

The group shuffled out of the kitchen and Harry and Ron went back to peeling the potatoes for that evening's feast.

As the day wore on, more people continued to arrive. Many of Bill's old schoolmates filtered in early in the afternoon. A few of Fleur's old girlfriends from Beauxbatons came and went straight into the house to help Fleur get ready. Madam Maxime showed up not long after. Professor McGonagall arrived early enough to help with the decorations. Lupin and Tonks turned up hand-in-hand in the early evening. Percy had finally swallowed a little of his pride and decided to show, bringing Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour along with him. (Harry carefully avoided him. Their previous confrontations had led Harry to dislike the man quite a lot.) At six o'clock Mrs. Weasley ushered everyone upstairs to get changed into something a bit nicer, and then they met all of the guests out in the garden.

Ginny put her arm through Harry's and guided him to a seat.

"But Ginny, aren't you part of the wedding?" Harry asked. "That's what Fleur said last year."

Ginny smiled very mischievously. "Oh I... I convinced her that it wasn't the best idea..."

Although she said no more of it, she seemed to brighten a little and Harry had the distinct feeling that Fleur had probably fallen victim to one of Ginny's famous bat-boogey hexes before any change had been made in the wedding plans.

Sitting between Ron and Ginny, Harry goggled at all of the amazing decorations. There were fountains around the garden that frothed various drinks, including wine, butterbeer, and pumpkin juice. The fairy lights Ron had described were everywhere, not just along the isle, twinkling in the diminishing evening light. There were even wood nymphs playing joyous melodies while Jeremiah Fust stepped to the front and called for everyone's attention.

"Ahem. Thank you. Please take your seats, as we are about to begin. "

Everyone got very and quiet turned their attention to Jer. He cleared his throat again as he looked around.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Witches and Wizards, we are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Fleur and Bill. Speaking of which, Bill will you please come to the front? I'm trying to marry you, here." Jer gestured for Bill, who was talking animatedly to an old buddy from Gringotts, to come up to the front. Everyone laughed as Bill rolled his eyes and made his way to where Jer was standing.

"All right. That's better," said Jer, grinning at his friend. "And now, with out further ado, let the procession begin!"

The wood nymphs struck a happy tune, and everyone turned to look at the house. Emerging from the back door was Gabrielle, wearing light pink robes, carrying a basket of flower petals, and stepping to the rhythm of the music. She walked down the isle and began to daintily toss the petals around her. Harry was surprised when he saw that the petals never hit the ground. They had apparently been charmed to float about a foot above it, making it look as if there was some sort of flowery mist around their feet.

When Gabrielle arrived at the front there was a great BANG! and everyone whirled around in time to see the best man (who was Charlie) and the maid of honor fly gracefully over them on brooms and land gently next to Jeremiah. When they had dismounted the music changed to be louder and more ceremonious. There was a great rumbling from behind them, and the audience turned to see a horseless coach carrying the bride and her father, flying down the aisle. The coach parked itself in the front, and Fleur's father got out, helping Fleur out after him.

Fleur was, and rightfully so, the most beautifully dressed one of all. She was wearing the most elegant robes, which were as white as a unicorn and embroidered with gold. She was bedecked with gobs of jewelry, which glimmered in the evening light. Her hair was in tight curls all the way down her back and a magnificent goblin made tiara, loaned to her by Mrs. Weasley's Great Aunt Muriel, rested upon her head.

"Well then," said Jer, grinning at them all as the music stopped playing. "Now that we are all here, let us begin." He took a gigantic book from the table behind him, and turned it's pages until he'd found the correct place.

"Hem, hem. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here on this beautiful day to... You know what?" he asked the crowd. "Let's forget the book and get this over with. You two clearly love each other, and I don't want to keep you waiting a moment longer." He snapped the book shut and tossed it behind him carelessly.

Fleur turned to Bill, looking alarmed.

Jeremiah seemed to understand, and said, "Don't worry, Fleur. I'm not going to ruin your wedding. On the contrary, I'm going to make it more interesting.

"Okay. Bill, do you love Fleur?"

Bill looked slightly taken aback. "Er- yes."

"Good." He turned to Fleur. "Fleur, do you love Bill?"

"But of course!"

"And do you two want to get married?"

They both nodded hesitantly, not sure what he was going to do next. Jeremiah smiled. "Brilliant! By the power vested in me by some place or another, I now pronounce you husband and wife! Now hurry up and kiss her, Bill, so I can go and eat your mum's delicious meal." Everyone laughed, and Bill didn't waste anytime. He swept Fleur off her feet and carried her back down the aisle.

Everyone began to chat happily and made their way over to the buffet table. Harry was very hungry, so he and Ginny quickly grabbed some food and started to head toward the others. But before they could get there Ginny grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"We need to talk," she said very seriously.

Harry sighed. Ever since he had overheard her and Hermione's discussion that morning he'd been dreading this. However, he let her steer him out of earshot of everyone else. They settled themselves down behind some bushes before she spoke.

"Harry, I know you don't want to talk about it, but you need to be honest with me," she said, staring deep into his eyes. She took a deep breath. "What happened in that nightmare last night?"

Harry sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples gently. "Ginny, please. Not right now. I don't want-"

"This is not a matter of what you do or do not want to do," she said fiercely, and Harry noticed that she stated it almost word for word what Hermione had said earlier. "Do you remember why you tried to break up with me a few weeks ago? It was because you loved me and you wanted to make sure I was safe. And now I'm asking you to tell me the truth because I love _you_ and I want to be sure _you're_ safe. You can save the world as many times as you want, Harry, but I know that you will never be willing to save yourself." She let out a sigh. She had said all of that as if she'd been rehearsing it all day.

At first Harry felt anger well up inside of him. Who was she to talk to him about nightmares and saving people after all he'd been through over the past few years? But then he realized that she was trying her best not to provoke him and he relaxed.

"Ginny... I don't want to tell you because..." He struggled to put it into words. "Because... I'm afraid the dream will come true." He looked away, the memory of her lifeless body under the Dark Mark still haunting him.

"Oh Harry," she said gently, taking his face in her hands and turning him to her. "You know you can tell me anything, right? _Absolutely anything._"

"Yes," said Harry solemnly. "I know."

She smiled slightly. "Good," she said, relaxing and leaning back. "Now tell me what you dreamt."

He told her everything, leaving no details out. He was surprised at how much he remembered from it. The picture seemed clearer in his mind than it did this morning. He told her all that he could recall, and she sat back and listened to him.

"...And then another voice whispered in my ear, Voldemort's, saying something about coming and finishing what we started. Then my scar hurt and I woke up."

Ginny was quiet for a moment, apparently pondering what she had just heard. Then she spoke. "How much?"

Harry thought he had misheard her. Harry stared, confused. "How much what?"

She sighed. "How much did your scar hurt?"

"Oh," said Harry, thinking back. "A lot. It hasn't hurt that much since... well, since Voldemort tried to possess me at the Ministry about a year ago." He turned to her. "Why?"

She looked at him patiently. "Because, Harry, if your scar hurt that much, it shows that You-Know-Who has grown dramatically in strength, and can now hurt you greatly without being anywhere near you. There is only one way to solve it. You must-"

"-practice Occlumency," he finished for her. "Yes, I know."

She gaped at him in shock. He smiled grimly. "I overheard you and Hermione at the breakfast table."

To his great surprise, Ginny clobbered him over the head.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"That," she said matter-of-factly, "was for making me worry all day about what I was going to say to you, when you already knew! Why didn't you interrupt me or something?"

"Well," said Harry, rubbing the lump on his head and grinning, "I thought, since you'd made such an effort to think about me all day, and everything..."

"Oh yes, go ahead and flatter yourself. I'll get you back for this, you just wait..."

From across the yard they heard Mrs. Weasley say, "Has anyone seen Harry? Or Ginny, for that matter?"

Harry and Ginny stood up abruptly. Harry whispered in Ginny's ear, "Does your mum know about... er... us?"

"Not a chance," she replied quietly.

"Why don't you want her to know?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Oh, I don't know. Mum would have a fit, for one. And it just wouldn't be the same around here. Besides, I kind of like dealing in secret. Don't you?" She winked up at him.

"No, actually, I don't," replied Harry. "Because then I couldn't do this." He grabbed her and kissed her right then and there. She was so shocked, she didn't even protest. When he let go of her, she looked around.

"Are you mad? That's just what I _didn't_ want you to do! You are lucky no one saw us, or I'd-"

"Or you'd _what?_"

They both whirled around to see Mrs. Weasley glaring at them with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground.


	3. The New Defense Teacher

Chapter 3

The New Defense Teacher

Harry and Ginny smiled weakly as Mrs. Weasley ushered them into the kitchen, trying hard not to think about how much trouble they were in.

"_Sit!_ I'll go get you're father. Wait until he hears about this!" She left them alone, slamming the door behind her.

Ginny turned angrily to Harry. "_See?_ This is all your fault! I told you she would throw a fit!"

"Hey! You didn't exactly put up a fight!"

"Yes, well, I have to admit, you are a pretty good kisser," she said, smiling mischievously. They laughed at each other until the door opened; then they fell silent.

"What's wrong, Molly?" said Mr. Weasley as they walked in. "What did they-" He stopped suddenly when he saw Harry and Ginny. "Why aren't you two outside with everyone else?" But before either of them could answer, Mrs. Weasley spoke.

"These are the children I told you we needed to speak to, Arthur."

Mr. Weasley looked confused for a moment, but then it dawned on him. "Oh! I assumed you were talking about Fred and George!"

Mrs. Weasley gave him a very sour look indeed. "Hardly."

"Well," said Mr. Weasley, taking a seat, "what's the problem?"

"The problem, Arthur, is that I caught these two snogging each other behind the bushes out back!" Mrs. Weasley cried, looking exasperated. Harry and Ginny exchanged worried looks.

"Ah," said Mr. Weasley. "Well, er, Molly, is that it?"

"Wait a minute," said Ginny, turning to her father. "You're not angry?"

Mr. Weasley looked surprised. "Of course not! It's about time you two got together, if you ask me."

Ginny goggled at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

It was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's turn to exchange looks. "Nothing, dear," said her mother. "We've just been suspecting that certain... but never mind. That's not the point."

"It's not?" Harry blurted out, confused.

"No, Harry. The point is that you two felt the need to hide this from us!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

Harry gave Ginny a significant look, smirking slightly. "_See?_ I told you so," he whispered.

Ginny glared at him and opened her mouth to retort, but the door opened again, and several people came filing in. Lupin, Professor McGonagall, and Rufus Scrimgeour.

"Sorry, Molly. Don't mean to intrude," said Lupin, who was leading the group. "We were just heading out. Thought we ought to give our congratulations." The other two nodded.

"Well thank you, Remus," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling politely.

"Any time. Also," He hesitated. "We were wondering if we could borrow Harry for a moment."

Harry was startled that they would all want to talk to him privately. He wasn't certain he wanted to talk to them, though, knowing Scrimgeour's previous intentions when he tried to talk to Harry.

"Certainly," said Mr. Weasley pleasantly. "Go on, Harry. We'll continue this when you get back." He smiled knowingly.

A little bemused, Harry got up from the table and left the kitchen, Lupin clapping his hand on Harry's shoulder as they walked out the door. The warm summer's eve was pleasant as they made there way to a quiet spot in the garden.

"So, Harry, here we are. Of course, you know Professor McGonagall, and I believe you've met our Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, I know you're wondering why we're here, so let's get straight to the point. Are you planning on going back to Hogwarts this year?"

Harry shook his head. "No, actually, I wasn't. I have some other... er, plans."

The three looked around at each other, and then back at Harry. McGonagall sighed. "Well Potter, seeing as you are now of age-"

"Happy birthday, by the way," Lupin added, smiling.

"Er, thanks," said Harry.

"Yes, well, seeing as you are now legally an adult, you are free to make that decision. However, we have an offer for you."

They looked at him, seeing if he was ready for whatever they wanted to tell him. Finally, he pushed, "Go on..."

"Potter, we would like to offer you the position of the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said McGonagall.

Harry just stared at them with his mouth hanging open in shock.

"But..." he said, shaking of the surprise, "but I haven't even completed my seventh year..."

"We're willing to overlook that, given the circumstances," said Scrimgeour gruffly.

"What circumstances?" Harry asked. "Why do you want _me_ to do it?"

"Well for one," said Lupin proudly, "you got the best O.W.L. score on the subject for fifty years!"

"Really?" said Harry, astonished. "I didn't know that." He looked at Lupin. "But of course, that's only thanks to you."

"No, Harry, it's not. You are naturally good at the subject and you know it."

"But..." Harry began.

"And face it, Harry, you're a roll model," said Scrimgeour. "I know you don't want to believe it, but you are. This will encourage parents to let their children return to school, knowing that the Boy Who Lived is still there."

Harry felt suddenly annoyed. Hadn't he already told Scrimgeour he didn't want to be the Ministry's poster boy?

"Besides, Potter," McGonagall added. "We wouldn't mind keeping an eye on you. You are still very much in danger."

So this is why they wanted him? So he could be watched like a baby and cover up ministry blunders? He thought for a long moment, and then decided he definitely didn't want that.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't think-"

"Oh come on Harry," said Lupin loudly. "You're the best man for the job! You have a natural knack for Defense, you're a good teacher from what I've heard from your friends in the D.A., and you are the only one who has faced Voldemort - multiple times, mind you - and lived! We need you and you're just going to give up on us?"

Harry stood in shock at Lupin's outburst. He had never seen Lupin act like that before. Maybe he should take this seriously...

"Alright, I'll do it," said Harry after a few minutes of wracking his brain for a good excuse. The three looked relieved. "But I have a few conditions."

They suddenly became wary. "What is it, Potter?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"I don't want any extra publicity," he said, looking at Scrimgeour. "Goodness knows I have enough of that as it is."

Scrimgeour paused for a moment, and then nodded. "All right."

"I also want to take my seventh year classes. I don't know how you will work that out, but I'll leave it to you."

Professor McGonagall nodded briefly to show that she understood.

"And I want to be able to leave the castle whenever I need to, without any questions asked. And be able to take Ron and Hermione as well," he added.

They all hesitated for a moment, not sure they were willing to do that. Finally Lupin sighed and nodded. "Done."

"Then it's a deal," said Harry.

"Well done, Potter," said Professor McGonagall professionally. "And what books do you wish to assign the students?"

"Er-" Harry thought for a moment, trying to remember what books he had found most useful. "Whatever books Professor Lupin assigned."

Lupin beamed at him.

"Very well, you are to report to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at the usual time. I will send you an owl shortly, telling you about preparing lessons for your students. We will arrange your schedule so that you can participate in your N.E.W.T. level classes as well." She looked around at the other two. "I believe that is all?"

They both nodded. Scrimgeour turned immediately and headed around to the front of the house, where he was safe to apparate. McGonagall straightened her hat, said "Farewell, Potter," and set off after Scrimgeour. Lupin smiled and shook Harry's hand.

"Thank you, Harry, and good luck." He started to leave, but then turned back. "Do you still have that two-way mirror Sirius gave you?"

"Er... yeah. I think so."

"Good. I found the other one in a pile of Sirius' old things. So if you need anything at all, you know how to reach me."

"Thanks a lot," said Harry, waving goodbye as Lupin found Tonks and they walked around the house to the other two.

Amazed at what had just happened to him, Harry walked dazedly back into the Weasley kitchen, where Ginny and her parents sat talking. When they heard him come in, they all stopped and turned to look at him.

"Well?" asked Ginny expectantly. "What did they want?"

"Oh, nothing much," said Harry casually, sitting down at the table with them. "You're just looking at the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

The effect was enormous. Ginny gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth. Mr. Weasley let out a whoop so loud the Muggles on the other side of town could hear. And poor Mrs. Weasley was so surprised that she actually fell out of her chair and onto the hard stone floor. Harry tried hard, but he couldn't stifle a good chuckle.

"Really?" said Ginny excitedly as Mr. Weasley helped his wife up. "But... you haven't even gone through your seventh year!"

"I know, but they said they are willing to overlook that," Harry explained.

"So what are you going to teach the seventh years if you haven't even learned the material yourself?" asked Mr. Weasley, when he and Mrs. Weasley were seated again.

"I dunno. I suppose I'll have Hermione help me look up some stuff. Plus, Lupin offered to help-"

"Oh, this is wonderful! I have to tell the others," said Mrs. Weasley joyously, practically skipping to the door.

"Please don't make too much of a fuss," said Harry earnestly. "It's no big deal, really."

"Don't be ridiculous! This is huge!" said Ginny, and she kissed him right there in front of her parents.

"Is that better, you two?" she asked them unblushingly.

"Much better," said Mr. Weasley, grinning. "Come on! Let's get back to the party!"

Harry sighed resignedly and was dragged back outside. Pretty soon everyone in the place knew, and they were all rushing up to him and asking him things repeatedly.

"You're the new Defense teacher?"

"Have you even completed your seventh year?"

"_You're_ the new defense teacher?"

"Will you promise my son a good grade?"

"YOU'RE the new Defense teacher?"

After a few minutes of this, Harry got annoyed and shook of almost everyone as politely as he could. He had to be a little blunt with Fred and George, but he didn't think they took it personally. Pretty soon it was just him, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Whew!" said Harry, feeling like he could do with a Pensieve to sort out all of his thoughts.

"Wow, mate!" said Ron. "I can't believe it! Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!"

"I believe it, after the D.A. and everything," said Hermione simply.

"Yeah, but that was different. He was just teaching a whole bunch of friends then. Now he's teaching every student in the school!"

Harry's blood went suddenly cold. He hadn't realized that. How would he ever be able to teach every kid in school? He might simply pass out as soon as he walked into the classroom on that first day.

Ginny seemed to read Harry's mind. "Don't worry about it. You'll be fine," she comforted.

"So," came a booming voice from behind them. "I believe I ought ter be congratulating yeh."

Harry whirled around. "Hagrid!" he exclaimed.

"Well, it's nice ter see yeh too, Harry!" said Hagrid, and Harry grinned up at him. "Or should I say... Professor Potter?"

Hermione and Ginny were thrown into a fit of giggles at this, and Ron had to step on their toes to get them quiet again, though he was snickering quietly himself. Harry was blushing considerably when he replied, "No. Please don't ever say that again. Ever."

"Righ'," said Hagrid, chuckling a bit. "Well, I've got ter be off. Jus' thought I'd say hello." They all waved goodbye to him as he too walked down the path to the front of the house.

After and hour or so more, all of the guests had left, including Percy, who never really spoke to any of them. Bill and Fleur had mysteriously disappeared off on their honeymoon, and the rest of the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Jeremiah were left to clean up. It took them a little while to rid the yard of all the garbage, but soon it was back to it's usual self.

When Harry had climbed into bed and thought about the day he realized that many out-of-the-ordinary things had happened to him. Though almost everything was relatively good and exciting, he couldn't help but think back on his dream of the night before and feel a little worried. His scar hurting was a rare event indeed, and he felt it was very much like Voldemort to catch him off guard after an entire year of peace, completely unprepared. _Oh well,_ he thought._ I'll talk to Ron and Hermione about it tomorrow._ He sank deeper into his pillows and drifted off to sleep.

Harry woke up fairly late the next morning, due to lack of sleep over the past few days. Everyone else was already downstairs eating breakfast. He still felt a little groggy, but he got up and got dressed in spite of it. Then he headed downstairs.

As he entered the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley turned from serving toast to ask, "Have a good sleep, dear?"

Harry yawned and nodded.

"No dreams, Harry?" asked Fred.

"No," Harry smiled. "None that I can remember, anyway."

They all laughed and he took a seat at the table. Jer called down the table to Harry.

"Actually, we were just talking about something that ought to be right up your alley, Harry," he said casually. Ron, Hermione and Ginny gave him nervous looks.

"Oh yeah?" said Harry, taking a bite of toast. "And what's that?"

"You-Know-Who and what he's up to," said Charlie. "What do you think about it?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't really want to talk about this at the moment, nor with so many people. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, what do you think he's doing right now? And how're we going to stop him?" said Jeremiah conversationally, shoveling eggs into his mouth.

Harry knew the answer to both of those questions. Voldemort was trying to find a way to kill Harry, and he could only be stopped by first destroying all of his Horcruxes that contained parts of his soul.

"I dunno. Maybe he's trying to take over Siberia or something," said Harry casually, trying to shrug off the subject as they laughed.

"Well, if you get any leads, I'd be interested to hear them," said Jer, looking at Harry oddly.

"Er- sure," Harry replied, not exactly sure how to respond to that.

"So," said Ginny, graciously changing the subject. "When are we going to Diagon Alley?"

From there the conversation moved to other things, and Harry was left to finish his breakfast without interruption. What exactly _was_ Voldemort doing right now? And where were all of those Horcruxes? He had to speak to Ron and Hermione. He leaned over and whispered in Ginny's ear.

"Will you tell Ron and Hermione I need to talk with them?"

Ginny looked suddenly alarmed, but she nodded, and leaned over to whisper in Hermione's ear.

"Well," said Harry, getting up from the table after a moment or two, "thank you for breakfast Mrs. Weasley."

"You're welcome, dear," she smiled.

"I'm up for a little one-on-two Quidditch," aid Harry with a confident air. "Ron, Hermione? Do you think you can beat me?"

"Sure do," they said, and stood as well and the trio went outside to the broom shed without any further notice.

"What is it, Harry?" said Hermione anxiously.

"Yeah," Ron added. "What's up?"

"Well," said Harry anxiously, "you know that dream I had the other night? Where I woke up with my scar hurting?"

They both nodded.

"Well, I lied. I do remember it. And I think Voldemort is trying something again." He explained his dream to them and took a deep breath, waiting for each of them to start having a fit. But they didn't. They just glanced at each other, and then looked back at Harry.

"We suspected something like that," said Hermione. "Although we'd hoped otherwise."

"Yes, well I know we've been avoiding the subject for about a month, but I need to find those Horcruxes. Have you two thought any more about R.A.B.?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah. We've looked in old newspapers and books, anything we could get our hands on. But there isn't an R.A.B. anywhere that would logically write that note."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to go to Godric's Hollow to look for more clues. Will you two cover for me if anyone asks?" said Harry.

"No way!" said Ron determinedly. "We're going with you!" Hermione nodded her assent as well.

Harry sighed. "All right. When do you want to go?"

"How about right now?" said Ron hopefully.

"We can't," said Hermione sensibly. "We'll have to leave when no one will suspect, or we'll be asked too many awkward questions. Perhaps at night some time. Why not this evening after dinner? We can pretend to go to bed early and sneak out then."

"Alright, let's do it," said Harry. "Just be sure not to tell anyone."

"That's no problem for us. But... er... Harry? What about you?" said Hermione nervously.

"What are you saying? That I can't even keep my mouth shut for one-"

"No, Harry!" Hermione interrupted defensively. "What about Ginny?"

"Oh." Harry sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. We can't take her with us. I might have to just... not tell her."

"She won't like that if she finds out," said Ron grimly.

"Yeah, but it's the only way." They all stood there for a moment, thinking about what they were about to do. Then Ron came out of his day dreams and turned to Hermione.

"Well, are we going to beat this big-headed git at a Quidditch game, or are we just going to stand here?"

After dinner the entire Weasley household went into the family room, and they discussed various things, relaxing and letting their food settle. Jeremiah and Mr. Weasley were discussing the many woes of working at the Ministry, Hermione was absently petting Crookshanks while listening to the Wizards Wireless Network with Mrs. Weasley, Ginny was joking with Fred and George in the corner about something top secret, and Harry was watching Charlie and Ron play a game of wizard chess.

"Will you move already?" said Charlie, a little agitated.

"Patience, my friend, is a virtue that..." said Ron as he moved his night up three and to the left two, grinning, "doesn't land you in the position that you are currently in. Check mate."

"What? No way! I looked at every possible angle! It was not possible for me to lose!" Charlie stared at the chessboard and began to mutter things to himself. Ron sighed, and patted him on the back.

"Now now, Charlie. No need to be a poor sport." He yawned loudly. "Well, I'm exhausted. I'm going to go to bed." He made his way up the stairs and out of sight.

"Well, Harry? You up for a game?" said Charlie, ordering the pieces to move back into position.

"Sure," he said. "But only one. I'm tired, too."

About ten minutes passed and Charlie almost had him beat when Hermione stood.

"I'm going to go read a book," she said. "Good night." She crossed the family room, Crookshanks in her arms, and climbed the stairs.

"It's your turn, Harry," said Charlie smugly. Harry spotted why. He was about to check him. Harry smiled anyway.

"Well, maybe you should take a leaf out of Ron's book, Charlie, and move a little slower. You might catch some things." Harry moved his queen diagonally four spaces. "Check mate."

"I can't believe it! I didn't see that anywhere! It's was almost as if..." A look of sudden comprehension came over him and he turned around to glared at Ginny and the twins. "All right, who jinxed my half of the board?" All three of them burst into laughter.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, Charlie, but you still lost." Harry stood up. "Good night."

Harry tried to go at a normal pace up the stairs, but once he got out of sight, he found himself skipping a few. He hurried into Ron's bedroom, where he and Hermione stood waiting.

"Well, shall we go?" Ron asked, after Harry had closed the door.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Let me just grab the cloak." He went to his trunk and grabbed his invisibility cloak he'd inherited from his father. He held it up to inspect it for a moment.

"Er, I don't think we all fit under this any more," he said, frowning a little.

"Here." Hermione grabbed it. "I'll go first and then send it up to you two." She threw it over herself and disappeared from view. Harry and Ron watched as the door seemed to open itself, and anonymous footsteps made their way quietly downstairs.

"So..." said Ron nervously. "Did you tell Ginny?"

Harry sighed and sat on the bed. "No. I wanted to, but I knew she'd want to come. And I wouldn't bring her on a hunt for one of Voldemort's Horcruxes in a million years. Not after what happened last time."

Harry thought about what happened a month ago when Dumbledore had taken him in search for a Horcrux. Voldemort had set up a series of dark and dangerous traps around it. The weakened state that it left the headmaster in led to his demise. Harry shuddered.

"Aha!" said Ron, breaking the silence as he scooped up the invisibility cloak that had just appeared. He held it out to Harry. "Do you want to go first?"

Harry shook his head. "No, you go ahead. I'll wait."

Ron shrugged, threw the cloak over himself (which barely reached his ankles), and marched downstairs. Harry smiled as he watched the bodiless feet tip-toe down each step.

He sat on the bed for a few minutes, thinking about R.A.B. and who he could possibly be, but he could think of nothing. Finally, the cloak magically appeared at his feet. He put it on and walked quietly downstairs, through the kitchen, and out the front door. When he found Ron and Hermione a few hundred feet from the house, shivering in spite of the hot august night, he pulled off the cloak and hurried toward them.

"Okay," he said when he made it to them. "Do we all remember where we are going? Don't want any of us to get lost."

They both nodded.

"All right, then. See you in Godric's Hollow." Harry stepped back a little, focused on where he wanted to go, and turned with deliberation. Suddenly all went dark. He couldn't breathe and felt intense pressure all around him. But just when he thought he couldn't bare the discomfort a moment longer, it stopped.

He found himself in a small clearing in a dense wood. He could hear owls hooting and crickets chirping all around him. To his right was a very old structure that appeared to have been blown up some how. It was overgrown with weeds and vines, and wouldn't have been recognizable except that Harry knew it was there.

He heard two loud cracks next to him that announced Ron and Hermione's arrival. "Harry?" Hermione called. "Are you here?"

"Yeah," he said as he reached into his robes pocket and pulled out his wand. He lit it quickly and turned to his two friends. "I'm right here."

Ron and Hermione lit their wands too and looked around.

"So... is this it?" asked Ron a little apprehensively.

"Yeah," said Harry, walking toward the ruined house. "This is where it all started."

He was only so sure because he had begun to remember things. This was the yard where his mother used to play with him. There was the old swing where his father used to push him so high that would feel like he was flying. That was the cobblestone path up to the house, where he'd first learned how to walk.

Then he began to remember much darker things. A rustling in the bushes as Lily Potter was making dinner. James standing from the table, shouting to Lily to take Harry and run as he prepares to defend his family. Voldemort killing Lily in a flash of green light and then turning his wand on Harry with malicious grin...

"Harry..." said Hermione timidly. "Are you okay?"

He jumped and turned to look at Ron and Hermione who were looking worried. "Huh?"

"Look, mate. Maybe we should go back. You don't look so well."

"Oh. Er, no. I'm fine. This just... brings back memories, that's all."

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. Hermione took a timid step toward Harry.

"Are you sure you can handle this? I mean, there must be horrible memories here."

"I'm fine," he said defiantly, walking into the old remains of the house. "Come on, let's look around."

They held their wands high, so the light would reach every corner as they searched. Hermione had found a particularly bad infestation of Devil's Snare, which she killed with a little fire from her wand. Ron kept to himself mostly, poking around off in a corner. Harry searched all over the place, but all he could find were lots of bits of glass and a rusty old spoon. After about an hour of tedious work, Hermione sighed and came over to him for comfort, because he was starting to get frustrated.

"I'm sorry, Harry. There's just nothing here. This place must have been looted hundreds of-"

"There's got to be something!" said Harry desperately, kicking over a rotten floorboard. "This is the place, for crying out loud!"

"Hey, Harry!" Ron called from a little distance away. "Check this out!"

Harry ran hurriedly over to him, with Hermione in tow. "What did you find?" he asked as he skidded to a halt beside him.

"Look at this," said Ron. He hand him a book. Harry could see what was so great about it at first. It was just a book with a scarlet cover and pages with gold edges. Then he opened it up and looked inside on the first page. Right there, in dark black ink, was written a short message.

"_To whom this may concern:_

_Within the pages of this book is written the story of my life. Though it may not be of use to some, I feel it is important to preserve this journal. I am hoping that whoever finds this will treat it with care, and perhaps learn from my many mistakes._

_Sincerely,_

_James Potter"_

Harry re-read the message several times, not quite believing his eyes. Could he really be holding his father's old journal? His hands were shaking as he turned to the first page.

"_July 16: I got my letter from Hogwarts today! My parents were so proud; they couldn't stop showering me with gifts, including this journal. I kept telling them all I wanted was a broom, but they said that they wouldn't get one unless I get on the Quidditch team in my second year..."_

Harry smiled to himself as he pictured an eleven-year-old James begging his parents for a broom. After a few minutes of flipping through the books' pages, he looked up. Ron and Hermione were smiling at him, glad that he had at least found something.

"Well," said Ron, "do you want to keep looking?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't think so." He pocketed the journal and looked around. "There's nothing else here. Come on, let's get back. I'm exhausted."


	4. The Apparition Test

Chapter Four

The Apparition Test

Over the next few weeks the Weasley household just relaxed. Every day Harry would open up his dad's journal and read a few pages. He smiled when he read about when James met Sirius and the other Marauders. He grinned when he read about James' elation of becoming the Quidditch team's seeker. And he laughed out loud at all of the pranks James and his friends pulled on various people at Hogwarts.

One afternoon, a few days before the beginning of term, Harry came to an entry dated at the beginning of James' third year.

"_Today Sirius and I played a little prank on the first year Slytherins coming in from the green houses. We magicked some balloons into the air filled with No-Evaporate Water and dropped them on their heads as they were coming into the entrance hall. It took them hours to figure out that their robes wouldn't dry without rolling in a vat of butter! Sirius' brother, Regulus Alphard (or Reggie, as we fondly call him) was so upset that he tried to curse us into an oblivion. No doubt he wrote to his mother as soon as he got back from detention. I'm betting Sirius five galleons on a howler in the morning."_

Harry remembered Sirius telling him about his brother Regulus two years ago when they had encountered the Black family tree. It hadn't mentioned his middle name on there, though. Then again, Alphard was their uncle, and he was blasted off the tapestry for helping Sirius. Perhaps Regulus ignored his middle name after that out of shame.

_Wait a minute,_ Harry thought. _Regulus Alphard Black. R.A.B. Could it really be that simple?_ He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it earlier. He closed the journal with a snap and ran downstairs to find Ron and Hermione. As he skidded into the kitchen, he found them sitting there, talking with Jeremiah (who for some reason was still there) about the state of a house elf's place in society.

"Actually, I completely agree with you, Hermione. They certainly have the raw end of the deal," said Jer, taking a cookie from the jar in front of him and shoving it into his mouth.

"Oh no, not you too," said Ron, shaking his head hopelessly. "Now Hermione will be ranting about spew here, too."

"Ron, it's not _spew_. It's Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, and it's a good cause!"

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Harry cut in.

"Ron, Hermione, could I talk to you? Er, right now?"

They and Jeremiah each gave him a curious look.

"Er, sure," said Ron, glancing at Hermione before standing. Harry gestured to the door and the three of them walked outside into the hot August morning. When they had gotten out of ear shot of the house, Hermione gave Harry a quizzical look.

"Harry, what-"

But before she could say anything more he interrupted her.

"I know who R.A.B. is," he said breathlessly.

They both gaped at him.

"How-"

"I figured it out from my dad's journal. Look." He showed them the entry he'd been reading only moments before. They stared at it, looking confused.

"Regulus Black!" he exclaimed, taking the journal back quickly. "Regulus Alphard Black! It all makes sense! Can't you see?" He gazed at them expectantly, but they shook their heads.

"Harry, he couldn't be. It just doesn't fit," said Hermione.

"Of course it fits!" said Harry loudly. "His initials are R.A.B. In the note, he addressed Voldemort as 'the Dark Lord.' Only Death Eaters do that, and he was one!"

"Well, maybe..." said Ron, brow furrowed.

Harry rushed on without noticing. "Sirius thought he had chickened out, but perhaps he was good the whole time! Perhaps he found out about the Horcruxes and was killed for betrayal!"

"Shh," said Hermione quietly. "Some one might overhear!"

"Sorry," Harry said hastily, lowering his voice. "But this has to be him! It fits perfectly! And do you remember that locket at Grimmauld Place? The one none of us could open? Maybe that was the Horcrux. Maybe Regulus was killed before he could figure out how to destroy it!"

Finished, Harry caught his breath and waited for Ron or Hermione to speak. They were both very quiet, apparently deep in thought. Slowly, Ron looked up.

"Yeah..." he said. "Yeah, that just might work!"

"But..." said Hermione, not quite so sure, "what would make him turn back to the good side? I mean, it's not the type of decision you would make over night."

"Maybe he was never on the Dark Side! Maybe he was a spy!" said Harry, a little annoyed that she didn't trust his logic.

"But then... how did Voldemort ever trust him?" she said with equal vigor. "He's supposed to be an accomplished Legilimens. From what Sirius said, I'd gathered that Regulus wasn't all that bright. I don't think very many people could lie to Voldemort and get away with it."

Harry wanted to scream. Instead he settled for a harsh whisper. "_I don't know, Hermione!_ Do you think I have all the answers?" he asked accusingly, glaring at her until she backed down. "All I know is that Regulus Black seems to fit. Can you stop questioning me and just consider it for a moment?"

She looked like she was about to retort, but she simply nodded.

"All right," said Harry in a final tone. "The only way to know for sure is to go to Headquarters and look for that locket. I hope Mrs. Weasley didn't chuck it, or we'll never find it. Anyway, when can we leave?"

Ron shook his head. "We can't leave for a while. We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow, and the next day is the start of term. We won't be able to check it out until next weekend at least."

"What about today?" asked Harry, frustrated that he hadn't figured out all of this a bit sooner.

"Well, I assumed you would want to stay home and start preparing your lessons, now that McGonagall has sent you an owl," said Ron, sounding a little surprised.

Harry stared at him blankly. "But McGonagall hasn't sent me an owl."

"Yes she did, just this morning. We all got our booklists. Hermione was having a fit about being made Head Girl..."

Hermione blushed deeply. Harry stared.

"Really?"

She nodded quietly and Harry gave her a muttered "Congratulations" that she again nodded comprehension to as Ron continued to ramble.

"...and about Ernie Macmillan being Head Boy, and then you got that big package that... Oh." Suddenly Ron bit his lip, looking a little worried. He reached into his robes pocket and pulled out a thick package. "Sorry, Harry. I forgot." He handed him the package.

It was a rather large envelope, addressed neatly in emerald green ink.

_Mr. H. Potter_

_The Burrow_

Harry ripped it open and pulled out its contents. There was a large piece of parchment describing the Defense Against the Dark Arts education requirements for each year, his booklist for the next school year, and short letter from McGonagall.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Herein is all the information you will need for the following year. Since you are still taking classes at Hogwarts concurrent with the lessons you will be teaching, your schedule is a little more complicated than usual. During most of your free periods you will be teaching. I will expect you to keep up with your schoolwork in spite of this. _

_Please plan your lessons around the requirements for each year, which are enclosed. Thank you for your time._

_-Minerva McGonagall _

_Headmistress to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry _

Harry sighed and turned to the other piece of parchment.

_"Defense Against the Dark Arts Education Requirements_

"_First Year: Learn basic defense spells and proper elementary wand safety"_

Harry smiled, remembering when Mad-Eye Moody had criticized Harry for putting his wand in his back pocket, muttering that nobody bothered to teach elementary wand safety anymore. Maybe he _could_ do this...

"_Second year: Learn basic defensive spells against household pests and the history behind them."_

Harry recalled when Professor Lockhart had unleashed a cage full of Cornish Pixies and had asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione to put them back. He frowned, realizing he hadn't learned anything then but how to get a devilish bite from a pixie. He would have to read up on that...

"_Third year: Learn intermediate defense against dark creatures and the history behind them."_

Yes, he was fine there. Lupin had taught him that year, the only decent professor he'd ever had.

"_Fourth year: learn intermediate defense against dark spells and the history behind them."_

That's right. That was when the fake Moody had taught them about the Unforgivable Curses...

"_Fifth year: Review and prepare for Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations"_

Well, that shouldn't be so difficult. Not really anything new there...

"_Sixth year: Learn advanced defense against dark spells nonverbally and the history behind them."_

Yes, that was only last year. He remembered that...

"_Seventh year: learn and perfect advanced defense in all areas and prepare for Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests." _

_Well,_ Harry thought, _perhaps this wouldn't be as difficult as I was thinking_. He folded up the parchment slowly, already beginning to plan lessons in his head, just as he had done during the days of the D.A.

Harry looked up at Ron and Hermione, who were reading over his shoulder.

"Well," said Harry, "it looks like I've got a busy year ahead of me. I have to take lessons, teach, and search for Horcruxes."

"Harry," said Hermione, "why do you suddenly feel such a pressing need to find those Horcruxes?"

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "It's not like they're going anywhere."

"Because Voldemort is out there right now, murdering people in their beds!" said Harry angrily. "Friends are dying, wives are becoming widows, and many children are now orphans!" He bitterly added, "But I don't suppose either of you will ever truly understand something like that."

He turned away, trying to ignore the horrified looks on his friends' faces.

"We are so sorry, Harry. We never meant that," said Hermione meekly.

"Yeah mate," Ron muttered guiltily, "We didn't. We're sorry."

Harry sighed. "It's fine. It's just... when can we go to Grimmauld Place?"

"Next weekend is fine with me," said Ron and Hermione nodded her assent.

"Great. We'll do that. Now let's go inside. I'm sure Jeremiah would love to hear more about S.P.E.W."

Ron made such a face that none of them could help laughing out loud. They joked together as they went back into the house. As soon as they walked into the kitchen Mrs. Weasley sighed with relief.

"Oh, good! I was just about to go looking for you. We just got an owl from the ministry. You two," she said, looking at Harry and Ron, "are to take your Apparition Test tomorrow."

_"What?"_ They exclaimed together, shocked.

"What are you complaining about? You both can apparate just fine," said Hermione, sitting down at the table and grabbing a biscuit.

"Yes, but this is different," said Ron nervously.

"We don't have any time to prepare ourselves," said Harry, sitting down at the table as well. "It's like diving into icy water."

"Yeah, and it is way worse the second time around," Ron finished, sinking into a chair. He took a whole handful of biscuits and shoved them in his mouth.

"Ronald Weasley, do not spoil your dinner!" said Mrs. Weasley, frowning.

"Don' wor'y" he said through his full mouth. He paused to swallow before Mrs. Weasley could criticize him about that too. "When I'm depressed I eat a lot."

"Oh please," said Mrs. Weasley exasperatedly, "you will do fine. Both of you," she added to Harry. "Would it have made the slightest difference if I had told you about this a week ago?"

"Yes," they said together for the second time.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, a little annoyed, "you're taking the test tomorrow anyway. I refuse to let you continue traveling illegally."

Harry and Ron sighed.

"Where is the test?" Harry asked.

"It's at Diagon Alley," said Mrs. Weasley. "It will fit perfectly into our shopping schedule. You must be outside Flourish and Blotts promptly at two."

Throughout the afternoon they relaxed, talking about all of the things they were planning to purchase. Hermione and Jer picked up their discussion about S.P.E.W. and Harry and Ron began a long wizard chess tournament that Charlie refused to take part in.

"I'm leaving for Romania again in the morning," he said. "I don't want to be considered a fugitive for murdering Fred and George in their beds."

They all laughed at this. After a delicious dinner they all went to bed. Harry couldn't quite fall asleep right away. He kept running through the events of the day. He was taking his Apparition Test tomorrow, he had finally got news from McGonagall about Defense lessons, and he had figured out part of the mystery of R.A.B.

_Regulus Alphard Black,_ he thought to himself before falling asleep. _Why didn't I think of that sooner?_

The next day Mrs. Weasley woke them up fairly early. They groggily ate their breakfast and prepared to leave.

"Mum, why do we have to be up so early?" Ron grumbled as he straightened his robes. "Are the shops even open yet?"

"Of course they are!" said Mrs. Weasley, ushering Ginny toward the fire where Harry and Ron stood. "All right, Ron. You first."

"Mum, I hate Floo powder," said Ron. "Can we please just apparate there?"

Harry agreed with Ron. Floo powder was an incredibly uncomfortable way that wizards traveled instead of apparition, brooms, or portkeys. You threw a pinch of the powder into the fire, stepped in, shouted where you wanted to go, and it sent you to that grate. What was uncomfortable was the ash getting in your eyes and mouth as you nauseously spun around and around until you got to your destination. Though apparition was also uncomfortable, Harry preferred it over Floo powder.

"No you cannot! Now stop arguing with me and get into that fireplace," Mrs. Weasley ordered, pointing sternly into it. "Hermione and I will apparate there and meet you outside of Gringotts." Glaring darkly, Ron trudged up to the to his mother and grabbed a pinch of powder. He threw it into the fire, which immediately erupted to the size of a small bonfire and turned emerald green. He stepped in, still looking rather annoyed, shouted "Diagon Alley!" and disappeared.

"All right, Ginny, you next."

Ginny grabbed a bit of the powder, sprinkled it into the fire, and jumped in. She shouted her destination and disappeared as well.

"All right, Harry dear, go ahead," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling warmly.

Harry sighed, took some powder from the pot, tossed it into the fire, and stepped in. He felt the familiar warmth of the flames as he shouted "Diagon Alley!" clearly, and tucked in his elbows to avoid hitting them on anything as he began to spin around in the grate. He shut his eyes tightly to prevent himself from getting dizzy and hoped that his glasses wouldn't fall off. After a moment of this he felt himself begin to slow and threw out his hands so he wouldn't fall face first onto the cold stone floor of the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry got up and brushed the ash off him. Then he straightened his robes and looked around to see Ron and Ginny standing there waiting for him. Together they walked outside. Harry walked up to the brick wall and tapped the third brick up and second across three times. Soon the wall had disappeared, opening into the beautiful but strangely empty street of Diagon Alley.

Ron shook his head. "I told Mum no one would be here this early."

But Harry didn't think that was the only reason. Last year it was like this too. Ever since word got out that Voldemort had returned people tended to avoid going out. Everyone traveled in packs and several shops were closed for unknown reasons. People tended to do their shopping and then leave.

"Well, let's head over to Gringotts," said Harry, taking Ginny's hand and marching up the street. As they walked by they saw the Apothecary and Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions were just starting to open up. Flourish and Blotts was already open, but the Magical Menagerie looked like it wouldn't open for another hour at least. Finally they reached Gringotts, where Hermione and Mrs. Weasley stood waiting.

"All right, let's go and get make a few withdrawals," said Mrs. Weasley. "It's too bad Bill and Fleur are still on their Honeymoon. They could have already done it for us."

They walked into the wizarding bank and went up to the counter where several Goblins sat, writing in large ledgers and weighing gold on scales.

"We'd like to withdraw some money from the Weasley and Potter vaults," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. Harry got the impression that she wasn't very comfortable around Goblins.

The Goblin nodded, took Mrs. Weasley's and Harry's keys and asked them in a gruff voice, "Follow me, please."

They went through a few doors and piled into all piled into a cart. The last time Harry had been in one of these was five years ago. As it began to roll deeper and deeper, accelerating to break-neck speeds, Harry felt like laughing out loud. He feet like he was back on a broom, flying through the air. He always got excited about that; it was what he was best at.

They stopped at the Weasley's vault, which, just as it did five years ago, had very little money in it. Harry was surprised. He had supposed that after all but two of the children had moved out, they might be able to save a little more. But then he realized that Bill and Fleur's wedding must have cost an awful lot, and felt embarrassed when they reached his vault, which still held most of the small fortune his parents had left him.

When they resurfaced again and walked back out into the street, their pockets considerably heavier, they decided to go to Fred and George's for a time, while the other shops fully opened. They walked inside the surprisingly crowded joke chop (in comparison to the street outside.) When the bell on the door jingled, George looked up and smiled.

"Well, welcome family and friends! What brings you here this fine morning?" he asked after he had pushed through the crowd toward them.

"Hello son," said Mrs. Weasley, giving him a hug and looking around. "Keeping a steady business, I see."

"We certainly are," said Fred, appearing at his twin's side. "All of the depression out there is lifted when they walk in here!"

"Oh stop talking to us like a bunch of strangers eager to hear an advertising pitch," said Ron.

"Tssk tssk, Ronnykins. Watch your temper!" said George, shaking his finger at him.

"Well, look around," said Fred, waving his hand carelessly at the packed shelves. "Let us know if you want to buy anything. Oh, and Harry? Our offer still stands. Anything you want, name it. We are forever in your debt."

Harry had given Fred and George his Triwizard winnings a little over two years ago so that they could start this shop. Last year when he had visited they had told him that everything was on the house. Of course, he'd paid for everything he'd gotten anyway.

They spread out, looking at all of the stock. Harry saw the punching telescope that Hermione had the unfortunate opportunity to discover the previous year. There were also some of the same stuff as before, like the pygmy puffs, the edible Dark Marks, and Patented Daydream Charms. Harry was particularly interested to see a new product on the shelf.

_Secret Hide-Away_

_Are you sick of having to deal with nagging parents or annoying siblings? Have you had it up to your ears with a tyrannical aunt or uncle? Well, now there is the new Secret Hide-Away that will give you a little time for yourself. The Secret Hide-Away is a small, one-time use capsule that you can keep in your pocket. When you feel you've had enough of the everyday stresses, throw the capsule on the ground. You will magically appear in a room that you can relax in. It comes with a desk, bed, and fireplace, so that you can relax and feel at home. You can finish neglected schoolwork, take a short nap, or simply warm up a bit and prepare yourself for the world outside. When you are done, snap your fingers three times. You will magically be transported back to the exact moment that you threw the capsule on the ground!_

_Please note that the Secret Hide-Away system has a time limit. It will throw you back into reality after sixty minutes if you haven't already left._

_Price: five galleons_

Harry thought that this was extremely clever, and kept thinking how useful that would have been to him at his aunt and uncle's house when they or Dudley were in the mood to torment him. He felt a little twinge of homesickness when he thought about never seeing the Dursleys again, but it was soon gone when he thought of how horrible they had been to him for the passed sixteen years. _No,_ he thought. _I am very glad to be rid of them._

He, Hermione, and the Weasleys strolled about Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, looking around at various things. After a while they decided it was time to go get some school supplies. They quickly purchased their items (Harry bought two of the Secret Hide-Aways), said farewell to Fred and George, and walked back out into the street.

"All right," said Mrs. Weasley, taking out her to-do list, "I have to get some more household things, so I'll let you four go on your own and get your school things. Meet at Flourish and Blotts at..." she looked at her watch, "half past one."

They all agreed and left Mrs. Weasley to do their own shopping. They decided to go to the Owl Emporium first so they could get their pets some more treats. Afterwards they moved next door to Madam Malkin's so that Harry and Ron could get their robes tailored, (they both had grown even more over the summer). Though they had had a bad encounter the previous year in that shop, the owner still gave them her same excellent service on their robes. Once that was done, they went to refill their chemistry sets at the Alchemist. Soon their money was more than half empty and they were carrying many heavy and awkward packages.

"Right," said Ron, juggling two particularly large bags on one arm. "Why don't we go back up to the Leaky Cauldron and get some lunch?"

So they dragged all of their parcels up the street and went back into the Leaky Cauldron, where Tom, the barman, served them a spot of tea and some sandwiches. While they ate, they talked about what they were going to do next.

"We should go to Florean Fortesque's and get some ice cream!" said Ginny excitedly.

"We can't," said Harry disappointedly. "Florean has been missing for more than a year."

They all went quiet. The world had changed dramatically since Voldemort had moved to the open. People were dying or went missing every day. No one trusted each other for fear someone was a traitor or under the Imperious Curse. Nothing was the same as it used to be. The Weasleys and their guests had all shared an unspoken agreement to not talk about it and worry about other things for now.

"Yes, well it doesn't matter if the ice cream shop is closed or not," said Hermione, standing up and looking at her watch. "Because we are supposed to be at Flourish and Blotts right now! Come on, we have just enough time to get there and purchase our things before you two have to take your apparition test." She looked over at Harry and Ron, who both suddenly paled.

"Goodness, you two are such sissies sometimes!" said Ginny, standing up and dragging Harry with her, (Hermione did the same to Ron).

They left the pub and went back out into the alley. Ron leaned over and muttered in Harry's ear, "Thought of anyway out of it yet?"

"It's hopeless," Harry muttered back.

They reached Flourish and Blotts much faster than usual; that's what it felt like to Harry, anyway. Mrs. Weasley was already waiting outside, carrying her share of bags with her. They waved to her and went up to meet her.

"Good, you're here," she said briskly, ushering Harry and Ron into the shop. "Let's go get your books quickly so you can go take your apparition test."

They went around locating the various books in the shop that they needed.

"Let's see...," said Ron. "I need _Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven_... aha! There it is!"

"I also need that..." said Hermione, looking at her list and then snatching a copy off the shelf. "And I need an Arithmancy book. Here we go..."

"And we need _A Guide to Advanced Defense_," said Harry, grabbing them each a copy.

"What do _you_ need that book for?" Ron asked. "You're the teacher!"

"Yes," said Harry, with a slight smirk, "But I need to know what pages to assign you for homework, haven't I?"

"No way," said Ron, shaking his head and looking appalled. "You wouldn't dare-"

"There's no need for you to complain," Harry interrupted. "I have to grade all of the work I give out, and frankly, I don't have time for that. I am pleased to say that you won't be getting much homework from me. Besides," he added grimly. "I have to buy _all_ of the books I assigned." He piled several different books into his arms, all relating to the subject he would be teaching.

"Poetic justice," Ron said smartly, and then scrambled off to find another book before Harry could curse him with a tripping jinx. He didn't have to flee, though, because Ginny popped up right when Harry whipped out his wand and she gave him a slight frown.

"Now, now, boys," she said, sounding like a scolding mother. "Not in the store." She laughed when Harry gave her a forlorn look and kissed him on the cheek. Then she steered him over to the counter where Mrs. Weasley was paying for hers and Ron's things.

When they had gotten all of their school things they walked outside. There was a little sign on the wall that read: "Apparition Test. Today at two o'clock." Wilkie Twycross, who had taught them to apparate in the first place, was standing by the sign in front of a few people waiting to take the test, including Neville Longbottom.

"Hey Harry! Hey Ron! Hermione and Ginny, how are you?" said their familiar round-faced friend.

"Good, Neville," said Hermione pleasantly. "And how are you?"

"Oh I'm all right," said Neville. "I'm just a little nervous. Just now old enough for the apparition test," he said, jerking his thumb toward the sign.

"Same here," said Harry. "You think you'll pass?"

"I dunno," said Neville sadly, looking at the ground. "My gran is hoping so, but... well, you know me..."

"Oh come off it, Neville," said Ginny good naturedly. "You'll do fine. Besides, if you don't pass you shouldn't feel bad. Ron didn't pass the first time either."

Ron glared at Ginny. "Gee, thanks," he growled.

"So will you be taking the test today, too?" Neville asked Ron. Ron simply looked over to his mother. She nodded her head and he turned dejectedly back to Neville.

"Yes," he sighed.

"You'll all do just fine," said Mrs. Weasley. "Just focus and you'll pass before you know it."

The three boys didn't look so confident. However, before any of them could speak again Twycross spoke to them.

"Everyone who is taking the Apparition Test this afternoon, will you please gather in closer?" There were about ten people and they all squished in closer. Harry, Ron, and Neville stuck together, all feeling very nervous as they said goodbye to the girls.

"You'll do fine," Ginny said.

"Just relax," Hermione called.

"We'll see you at the leaky cauldron when you're done." Mrs. Weasley gave Ron a gentle shove toward the gathering test-takers and walked away down the street with Hermione and Ginny.

"All right," the test examiner said when he had a close and quiet audience. "I will be passing around a sign-up sheet." He handed the parchment and quill to the nearest person. "The order that you sign on is the order that you will be taking the test. Please listen carefully. You will be taken to the other side of this building individually and you will be observed in your first part of apparition. You cannot leave anything behind, or you will fail the test."

"Yeah," Ron muttered bitterly, "not even half and eyebrow." He took the sign-up sheet someone was offering him and wrote down his name hastily. Then he tossed it to Neville.

"We will have wizards posted at your destination, which will be outside of the Gringotts, to make sure that you get there... in one piece."

Neville gulped loudly, paling slightly as he signed his name. Harry tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it turned out to be more of a grimace. Neville handed him the sheet. Harry quickly scribbled his name and the passed it on. Then he turned back to the speaker.

"Now, if you apparate off course and cannot find your way back, send up read sparks high into the air. Some one will eventually find you. Please note that if you do not apparate within the three meter radius of your destination, you will fail." He looked at the sign-up sheet he had just been handed. "All right. Can I have Julia Holtemore follow my assistant, Mr. Withersnitchel, around back, please?"

A girl a year or two older than Harry stepped forward shakily and followed an old hunchbacked man around to the back of the building. She looked rather frightened as she went around the corner and out of sight.

"Do you think she'll pass?" Neville asked nervously.

"Probably," said Ron. "She looked like she would be pretty good at it."

"You can tell by looking at someone?" said Neville, positively trembling now. "What if they don't even let us take the test? What if they look at us and say they can see that we won't pass? Oh..." he moaned, "Gran would kill me..."

"Neville, relax," said Harry sharply, afraid he would start to think that way too if he continued to listen. "We'll be fine. Just do your best."

"Delina Jacobs?" Twycross called.

A girl with long blonde hair burst into tears as she stepped forward. "I... can't... d-d-do it!" she wailed.

Mr. Withersnitchel limped forward and patted her on the back. "Now now. There's no need to cry. You just come around back, take the test, and _bam!_, you have your Apparition License!"

She continued to weep and finally they had to have her mother lead her away to calm her down. A man in his early twenties standing next to Ron grumbled, "How embarrassing. She did that in _public?"_

Ron turned to him, annoyed. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"Well," said the man, "she had to make a big scene fretting over nothing," he said airily.

"Oh and you think you are going to pass right away, do you?" Ron asked, stepping a little closer to him challengingly as "Fierluen Kiekerlov" was called.

"But of course," he said pompously. "I have connections."

"What kind of connections?" Ron pressed.

"My second cousin's boyfriend is Mr. Withersnitchel's step son," he replied, acting as if he were practically royalty. Ron, Harry, and Neville all snorted.

"Well," said Ron, "until you can get better _connections,_ I would suggest backing off of a poor girl's case for being nervous."

"You laugh now," said the man as Twycross called for "Jensen Davis", "but you wait! We'll see who passes and who doesn't!" He turned on his heal and moved to the other side of the group.

"What a prat," Ron muttered. "He reminds me of Percy, actually."

"Austin Thelman?"

The man that had been talking to Ron stepped forward confidently and followed Mr. Withersnitchel around the corner, saying "I don't know why I'm even bothering to take it. I know I'm going to pass..."

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, thinking about the task ahead. Ron was glaring at the wall, muttering to himself. Neville was positively trembling. Harry simply stood there, thinking about how horrible it would be for him to fail. He really felt bad for Ron at the moment, but couldn't tell him so because at that moment Twycross called out, "Ronald Weasley?"

Ron paled and stepped forward. "See you later," he called to Neville and Harry, and walked around the corner after Mr. Withersnitchel.

Harry turned to Neville. "Well, we're next. You ready?"

Neville shook his head vigorously, not even able to speak. He was looking very green. Harry started to speak more words of comfort, but then they heard the Twycross's voice again.

"Neville Longbottom?"

Neville looked like he was about to collapse, but Harry gave him a gentle push forward, wishing him luck. Neville looked as if he were about to face a Hungarian Horntail as Mr. Withersnitchel ushered him around the corner of the building.

Now Harry was all alone. He tried to not think about it. He would be meeting up with his friends in a minute or so, and then they could go home. If he didn't pass, he could always stick to brooms for traveling. He preferred them anyway. It wasn't like failing the Apparition Test was the end of the world or anything...

"Can I have..." said Twycross, looking at his list, "Harry Potter, please?"

Instantly the remaining members of the crowd turned to stare at him as he stepped forward, muttering and pointing at his scar, as usual. He tried to ignore them, but it was a little unnerving.

"The Boy Who Lived?"

"Harry Potter? Where is he?"

"They say he's the Chosen One."

"Does he really have that scar?"

Harry closed his eyes for a moment and tried to block out all sound as he followed Mr. Withersnitchel around the bend. As he rounded the corner, there behind Flourish and Blotts were three elderly looking wizards, all standing with clipboards in hand. Harry walked up to them, shaking slightly.

"All right," said a particularly decrepit-looking wizard. "You are to apparate in front of Gringotts. You may go whenever you please."

Harry closed his eyes and pictured Gringotts. Right there in front of it he saw a large circle in his mind. He kept his focus on that and turned sharply. He felt the familiar discomfort of all-encompassing blackness and a feeling of being pushed through a tiny tube. He couldn't breathe. If he didn't get there soon he would surely suffocate-

All of the sudden, he felt his feet touch the ground. He felt very windswept, but he stayed steady on his feet as he opened his eyes.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter," said a test examiner that was standing a few feet away in front of the doors to the Gringotts wizarding bank. "You passed."

(A/N) I hope you liked it! Please review! Thank you so much to those who already did! Merry Christmas!


	5. Professor Potter

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry it took me so long, guys. My mom took my internet connection away, so I couldn't get online for a while. But she'll be gone for a few days, so I'll be able to post more 'til then. I might be able to convince her to give it back to me when she returns. Sorry for all the delays! Oh, and I hope you really enjoy this chapter! But Chapter Six is currently my favorite. You'll have to see. I'll post that one in a few hours. Cheers!

-Julia Holtemore

Chapter 5  
Professor Potter

"Now if you will please step aside, the next person will be arriving in a moment. You may pick up your license at the table over there."

The examiner pointed to a table a few feet away. Hardly able to believe he had actually passed, Harry walked shakily in that direction. The wizard sitting there hastily scribbled Harry's name on a small card and handed it to him. Harry took it in his hands gingerly and read it.

**Apparition License:  
This document certifies that  
_Harry James Potter_  
may now apparate freely.**

"Harry!"

He turned around and saw Ron and Neville hurrying toward him. They were both waving cards that looked just like his. He grinned.

"I see we've all passed," he said as they all swapped cards to take a look at each others' (which was silly because they were all exactly the same except for the name). They each spoke in detail about exactly what happened when they were taking the test. Their stories were pretty much the same, except that Neville apparently tripped walking over to the examiners and had to spend quite a lot more time focusing on his destination due to being a little flustered.

"And you know that prat that was talking to me earlier?" Ron asked excitedly. "Austin Thelman? He failed horribly. Left all of his clothes behind, apparently. Blimey, I'm glad I wasn't there to see it."

They all laughed at the thought. Then Ron spoke again. "Well, it's off to the Leaky Cauldron, I suppose," he said, putting his license in his robes pocket. "Do you want to come, Neville?"

"No, that's all right. I have to meet Gran. She'll never believe this!" Neville couldn't stop smiling at everything he encountered. "See you tomorrow!" He skipped away, singing a tuneless song to passersby with lyrics consisting of "I passed! I passed! I passed!"

Ron and Harry snickered as they watched Neville skip away. Then Harry turned to Ron.

"Well, shall we go then?"

"Why not?" said Ron. They set off up the street. Suddenly Ron came to a dead stop. It took Harry a moment to realize this and he had to backtrack a bit to get back to him.

"What's up?" he asked curiously.

"This is ridiculous," Ron replied. "Why don't we just Apparate there?"

"Oh yeah," said Harry. It had just donned on him that he now had an easy and legal method of travel available to him. "Let's go then."

They turned quickly and before they knew it they were standing in the Leaky Cauldron before Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny, who all screamed. Ron and Harry each fell into fits of laughter, grabbing their sides at the girls' facial expressions.

"Don't do that!" said Mrs. Weasley, clutching her heart and breathing heavily.

"Well," said Hermione when she realized what had happened, "I take it you passed, then?"

Ron nodded, teary eyed from laughing so hard. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his license. Ginny took it from him and looked at it.

"Hmm, not all that special, is it?" she asked conversationally.

"Not all that special?" Ron asked, finally calm enough to speak. "Do you know what this means?" he said, waving his own license in front of her.

"Yes," said Hermione, tilting her head to read what his card said. "It means that you may now apparate freely."

Ron stopped waving his card around and glared at her. "Very funny," he said darkly, shoving it in his pocket. "So, when do we go home?"

"Right now," said Mrs. Weasley. "I'll let you two Apparate there. Ginny, here's the Floo container." She tried to hand Ginny the container, but she wouldn't take it.

"Why can't you just Apparate me there?" she asked.

"Because I have too many bags to carry and I don't have time for this. Just take the container." Mrs. Weasley tried a second time to hand Ginny the container.

"Well, then why can't Harry take me?" she asked, grabbing Harry's arm. Harry didn't want to be part of the argument and started to say so, but was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley.

"Ginevra Weasley, if you don't take this Floo powder right now, I'll-"

"All right, all right," said Ginny, letting go of Harry and grabbing the container. "I'll take the Floo Network." She marched over to the fireplace and threw a handful of powder into the fire. "The Burrow!" she shouted rather fiercely after she'd stepped into the emerald green flames. She quickly disappeared.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, picking up her things, "Let's go." She straightened her hair and disappeared with a CRACK!

"See you there," said Harry. He grabbed his things and then quickly apparated to the Burrow.

Early the next morning Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all frantically packing last minute items, calling to one another for missing things.

"Have you seen my Muggle Studies book?" Hermione called up the stairs.

"No," Ron yelled back down. "Why do you need it, anyway? I thought you dropped that class!"

"Always good to be prepared!" she hollered back.

Harry was frantically throwing all of his stuff into his trunk. When he tried to stuff his Firebolt in and it wouldn't fit, he felt a strong urge to kick something. Then he remembered that he could now use his wand.

"Let's see... what was that spell Tonks used?" Harry muttered to himself, remembering the time when Nymphadora Tonks had helped him pack his trunk at the Dursleys'.

"Huh?" said Ron, his voice sounding muffled from behind a tall stack of wizard's robes. He shoved them in his trunk. "Sorry, I was packing my robes -"

"Oh, that's right!" said Harry. He raised his wand. _"Pack!" _he shouted.  
His things jumped from where they were around the room and fell into his trunk. A large amount of books came flying through the air and nearly hit Ron in the head. His robes and clothes leapt in after them. His invisibility cloak even sloppily folded itself. After all of his things were in he closed the trunk, satisfied.

Ron goggled at Harry's finished packing job. "How did you do that?" he asked, fascinated.

"I saw Tonks do it a few years back. Here." He waved his wand in the direction of Ron's things and his possessions acted similarly. The only difference was a scream from downstairs and a pair of underwear zooming through the open door, closely followed by Mrs. Weasley, who had apparently been trying to fold them. Ron and Harry were doubled over with laughter as Mrs. Weasley scolded them.

"Next time just pack it by hand!" she shouted, and she slammed the door behind her, causing old plaster to fall from the ceiling.

"Neat spell," said Ron, still chuckling. "I'll have to remember that one."

They rushed down to breakfast where the girls, Mrs. Weasley, and Jer were already sitting, and quickly ate several bacon sandwiches each.

"Not to be rude or anything," said Ron to Jeremiah after he'd finished his last sandwich, "but why are you still here? I mean, the wedding was over about a month ago."

"I'll be escorting you to the station," said Jeremiah importantly. "I convinced the ministry to keep their battalion of Aurors on standby."

"So they still think they have to protect me?" said Harry, annoyed.

"Yes," said Mrs. Weasley collecting dirty plates to be washed. "And after what happened a few months ago I don't blame them," she said. "They are still sending their car, though, which will be nice with all of your trunks and things. Which reminds me," she said, glancing at her watch and then out the kitchen window. "We need to get going! Quickly! Get your trunks and go outside. They're already here!"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all ran upstairs and grabbed their things. It was awkward dragging bulky trunks and animal cages downstairs, but they got there quickly. They rushed outside and handed the ministry driver their things.

The four of them piled into the back seat comfortably. Jeremiah and Mrs. Weasley got into the front and the driver climbed in after them.

"We'll be at King's Cross station in a little over half an hour," said the driver as he turned the key in the ignition.

The ride was comfortable, and they discussed various things that would be happening at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were particularly excited about Quidditch, and discussed various plays and things while they drove into London. When they arrived at King's Cross twenty minutes early they put their trunks on trolleys and walked through the heavy crowd toward the gateway to platform nine and three-quarters. Hermione and Ginny walked through the barrier first, chatting casually as they leaned against the seemingly plain brick wall. Harry and Ron went next, talking about the amount of schoolwork they were in for as they walked on through. Jeremiah and Mrs. Weasley soon followed. The familiar Hogwarts Express train was sitting in the station, its smoke stack billowing steam. Many children were saying goodbye to their families as they prepared to board. Harry, Hermione, and the two youngest Weasleys said farewell to Mrs. Weasley and Jer.

"We'll see you at Christmas," said Mrs. Weasley, hugging each of them in turn. "Please write to us if you need anything."

"It was nice meeting you, Harry," said Jeremiah, shaking Harry's hand.  
Harry smiled. "Same here."

The four of them climbed on the train as it prepared to leave the station. They waved goodbye out the windows as the train accelerated, then they turned away to look for a compartment.

"We have to go up to the prefect's carriage for a while so Ernie and I can give out assignments, but we'll find you as soon as we can," said Hermione, and she and Ron hurried away, dragging their trunks behind them.

"After you," said Harry to Ginny, gesturing to an empty compartment just ahead.

They went inside and deposited their trunks. Ginny sighed contentedly as she sat down next to Harry and he put an arm behind her back.

"Thank goodness. We're finally alone-"

They heard a knock on the compartment door. Groaning with annoyance, they looked over to see Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Luna Lovegood all file in.

"Hello again, Harry," said Neville, sitting himself down. He looked at Harry and Ginny curiously. "Are we interrupting anything?" he asked.

"Oh er..." Harry glanced at Ginny. "N-no." He looked around at all of his friends. "I see that you are all alive and well. Have a good holiday?"

Luna nodded dreamily and opened up the most recent issue of _The Quibbler_. Dean grunted, eying Harry and Ginny with contempt, undoubtedly because Ginny had dumped him the previous year. Neville smiled and said, "Oh yes." Seamus looked rather uncomfortable.

"What's up, Seamus?" Harry asked.

"I..." He looked hesitant to say what was on his mind. "Nothing."

"What is it?" Ginny pressed.

"Well..." he said. "I sort of had a row with me mam."

"Are you talking about last year when she tried to take you home early?" asked Harry, remembering when he and his mother had a shouting match in the Great Hall.

"No," he said, looking a little harassed. "This one was worse. Much worse."

"What was it about?" Neville asked, apparently hearing this for the first time as well.

"The same thing," he replied. "I wanted to go back to Hogwarts and she said it wasn't safe. I ended up getting so angry that I packed me things and left. I've been staying at Dean's for nearly the whole summer." Dean nodded to show he agreed with the story.

"Well, it'll probably blow over soon," said Ginny, trying to sound reassuring.

"I don't think so," Seamus said, now looking worried. "She told me if I walked out the door she would never speak to me again. I haven't heard from her since."

They were all quiet for a moment, not exactly sure what to say.

"Well," said Harry, pulling a deck of cards out of his pocket. "How about a game of Exploding Snap to take your mind off it?"

"Yeah," said Seamus, perking up a bit. "Yeah, okay."

They played various games and chatted away for quite a while. When Ron and Hermione arrived just after the lunch trolley and they began to talk about many different things, like Quidditch, Hogsmeade, Quidditch, the Forbidden forest, and Quidditch. As the sky darkened the train slowed and they pulled into Hogsmeade station. The usual scramble to gather their things and get off the train accompanied their arrival. They walked up the platform and got into the carriages, which were pulled by the familiar thestrals. It was rather wet out, and they could hear the wheels of the carriage splashing through puddles and mud as they passed the gates flanked with winged boars. They reached the entrance to the school and hurried into the warmth of the entrance hall. They were heading into the Great Hall to attend the start-of-term feast, when Harry heard his name called out.

"Potter!" shouted Professor McGonagall from across the entrance hall. "Can I have a word?"

Harry sighed and told the others to go on. Then he walked toward McGonagall. She gestured toward an empty classroom, which they stepped into and she closed the door.

"Have you begun preparing lessons for your students?" she asked, sitting down on an empty desk.

"Er, yes," he said. "I thought I'd do mostly review for the first-"

"I don't need to hear a summary, Potter," said the new Headmistress of Hogwarts, holding up her hand. "I trust you to do well. But there is a slight – abnormality – that goes with your status of being both teacher and student. You see, you can't very well be giving out house points and detentions when you are partial to the house you are in..."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but McGonagall continued. "So I would like to give you a choice. You can either be at teacher status and have all of the privileges that go along with such responsibilities, such as giving out house points and detentions. Or you can continue with your student status, and simply teach the subject but not have the other teaching liberties. You will not be able to do objective things like Quidditch if you choose the teaching role."

Harry blinked. The answer seemed obvious to him. Didn't she know him better than this?

"I think I'd rather act more as a student than a teacher," he said. "Especially if I have to give up Quidditch for the other one."

McGonagall smiled. "I thought so. I just thought I'd lay out your options." She stood. "Well, Potter, it's time to get to the feast. Professor Sprout has been doing the sorting. Come along, now."

They hurried out of the classroom and into the Great Hall. Harry rushed over to sit at the Gryffindor table between Ron and Ginny, followed by the usual whispers and pointing, and Professor McGonagall sat at the chair in the center of the staff table, where Dumbledore had sat at so many times. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked at Harry questioningly, wondering what McGonagall had wanted, but he shook his head and looked toward the front of the Great Hall, where there were still a few first years to sort.

"Omega, Vladimir," Professor Sprout called out from her list of names.

A fairly tall, dark-haired boy walked lazily up to the stool and placed the Sorting Hat on his head. No sooner had the hat touched his ears, than it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

The boy smirked as he walked over to his new house table to cheers and whistles. The way he did so reminded Harry very much of-

"Draco Malfoy," Hermione whispered over to him and Ron. "He acts exactly like Draco Malfoy."

Harry nodded, thinking the same thing. He would have dwelt on it further, but was drawn back to attention as "Pennylworth, Robert," was sorted into Ravenclaw. He studied the boy's face, trying to remember his name for when he had Harry's class.

"Williams, Alena," shouted Professor Sprout.

A little girl with a charming smile scrambled up and sat on the stool. She placed the hat on her head and it sat there for a moment. Then it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry stood up along with the rest of the Gryffindors, cheering happily as Alena hurried over to join their table. As they settled back into their chairs, the last boy's name was called out.

"Zanderfield, Joshua."

The boy hurried up to the stool, eager to get the attention over with. He jammed the hat on his head, hiding his wavy auburn hair underneath it. After a second's consideration, the old Sorting Hat opened its seam and shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Once again all along the table people got to their feet, roaring with jubilation. The shouts were deafening as they cheered their fellow Gryffindor. They finally settled down when they saw Professor McGonagall stand.

"Thank you for your participation," she said, her voice ringing through the Hall. It was not the usual childlike teasing tone that Dumbledore had. Nevertheless, it was pleasant. "Welcome to Hogwarts. And welcome back to the old students. Now I know you are all very hungry, so let the feast begin!"

At these words huge amounts of food suddenly appeared on the tables, making them sag slightly under the weight. There were boiled potatoes, corned beef, black pudding, and anything else that anyone desired. Everyone was very hungry, so they quickly served themselves large helpings. Ron took half of the dish of drumsticks before Hermione could criticize him.

"Ron, save some for everyone else!" she said harshly, taking the dish from him.

"I'm sorry, but I'm hungry!" he replied, pouring large amounts of gravy on top of his plate. Hermione rolled her eyes and recommenced eating her own food.

"I see Slughorn is still here," said Harry, looking up at the staff table and watching his potions master drink merrily from his glass.

"Yes," said Hermione. "I thought he might have left after all that happened last year. He seems to be afraid of a lot of things."

Harry nodded. "He turned himself into an armchair to avoid Dumbledore asking him to teach."

Harry suddenly felt his insides crumble and was quiet for several long moments. It was very difficult to think of Dumbledore so recently after his death.

"Actually," said Hermione, breaking the silence that had fallen on them, "I don't see anyone new up there..."

She was quite right. There were fewer seats, but every professor that had been there last year and was neither dead, nor a Death Eater, was sitting up at the table.

A silvery white figure floated up through the table and hovered over them.

"Hey, Nick," said Dean. "How were your holidays?"

"Oh delightful, thank you," said the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly-Headless Nick. "Got into a duel with Sir Patrick Delaney, but otherwise-"

"You got into a duel with another ghost?" asked Seamus, through a mouth stuffed with food. "What did you do, float through each other?" He and Dean snickered at the thought.

"Another lovely display of how distasteful one can be before experiencing death," said Nick stiffly before he drifted down the table to welcome the new first years.

Soon the dinner was consumed and the house elves downstairs sent up a large variety of deserts. Harry immediately tackled the treacle tart, which was his favorite. He was just about to serve himself seconds when Dean turned and asked,

"So why did you come in late?"

"Huh?" he asked, forgetting about what had happened before the feast. "Oh, McGonagall wanted to talk to me."

"What about?" asked Seamus, who had overheard.

"Oh, nothing much," said Harry, not wanting to worry about it.

Hermione was about to say something, but Harry gave her a sharp look that said "I'll tell you later." Harry didn't want to ruin his dinner by thinking about the horrible knot of nerves that had started to tighten every time he thought about how many students he was supposed to be teaching this year.

Seamus gave them both an odd look and then turned his gaze to the staff table. "I don't see a new Defense teacher up there. Does anyone know who it is?"

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all looked at Harry. He shifted awkwardly in his seat.

"Er, yeah. It's -"

But suddenly the room went quiet. Professor McGonagall was standing and everyone was giving her their undivided attention. Harry unwillingly put his fork down and looked up.

"Again, I'd like to say welcome to all. I hope you had a pleasant holiday. Now before you go to bed I would like to go over a few things.

"The first years should know that the forbidden forest is out of bounds at all times no matter what your age." She looked pointedly at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who smiled sheepishly. "We occasionally give out detentions to be served there, but that is a very rare occurrence.

"Secondly, Mr. Filch, the care taker, has asked me to remind you that there is a long list of banned items, including all merchandise from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, which are not allowed in the corridors. The list is posted in his office."

She took a deep breath. "As you all know, certain... unfortunate events occurred at this school last term. Due to this sad occasion we have yet again lost a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and..." She stopped, trying to compose herself. "And a Headmaster. Since I will be taking over the role of Headmistress, we need a new Head of Gryffindor and of Slytherin. The Head of Slytherin will be Professor Slughorn, and the Head for Gryffindor will be..." She paused and the entire room was dead silent. She smiled and she let her voice ring through the hall. "The Gryffindor Head will be Professor Hagrid.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were pleasantly surprised and instantly stood up and began cheering along with the rest of the Gryffindors, though they were a bit louder than most. Hagrid blushed deeply and waved. When everyone had finally settled down, Professor McGonagall continued.

"As for the Defense teacher, a new appointment has been made for that as well. This will be an interesting year, but I trust that it will work out. Your new Defense teacher for this year will be... Harry Potter."

Everyone in the hall turned and stared at Harry, whispering furiously. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked down.

"Potter," McGonagall continued, "If you would please stand."

Harry didn't want to, but he got awkwardly to his feet and stood there for a moment; then he quickly sat back down. There was a stunned silence, and then Ginny began to clap. Ron and Hermione joined in. The entire Gryffindor table caught on quickly, applauding joyfully. Soon the entire hall was ringing with cheers, and Harry's face suddenly felt very hot.

When the applause finally died down, Professor McGonagall brought her speech to a close.

"Also, our new Deputy Headmaster will be Professor Flitwick. Thank you for your time. I will see you all in the morning. Now off to bed." She sat down quickly and fell deep into conversation with Professor Sinistra.

Everyone got happily to their feet. Harry left the Great Hall with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in tow, as quickly as possible to avoid people asking him questions. Unfortunately Dean, Seamus, and Neville were too quick for him, for they accosted him about halfway up the marble staircase.

"How can you be Defense teacher?" Dean asked. "You're still in your seventh year!"

"They made the arrangements," said Harry wearily, continuing up the stairs with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "I guess I teach during some of my free periods."

"But... why?" Neville asked, perplexed.

"Oh please, do you even have to ask that?" Ron said. "This is _Harry Potter_ we're talking about."

Harry felt his face burning. "I'm sure they were just desperate..." he mumbled.

"Come on, Harry! Give yourself some credit!" said Ginny proudly. "What with the Triwizard Tournament and the D.A., and you've faced You-Know-Who about a thousand times..."

"No, really-" he said shyly.

"I'll bet anything they were just waiting until you were old enough," she finished.

It was quiet for a moment. Harry stood there, looking at the floor and wondering what his friends were thinking. Then Dean spoke.

"Well, you're going to make sure your fellow Gryffindors get good marks, right?" he asked hopefully.

Harry grinned, looking back up at his friends. "Only if you earn it," he said.

Neville, Dean, and Seamus continued to talk excitedly and began to fall behind. Wanting to beat the crowds, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny pushed passed and climbed the stairs. Harry reached the portrait hole on the seventh floor first, but stopped there when the Fat Lady asked for the password.

"Er..." he turned to Ron and Hermione, who were prefects. "Do you...?"

Hermione said, "This one should be easy enough to remember. _House elf_."

Ron rolled his eyes as he crawled into the portrait hole after Hermione. "She just about had a fit on the train. Nearly bored us to death going on about _spew_."

Hermione opened her mouth for a retort, but Ron hastily gave her a kiss on the cheek, shouted "Good night!" and ran up the stairs. Harry chuckled softly, kissed Ginny goodnight, and climbed the spiral staircase after him. He found Ron breathing heavily, doubled over next to his bed.

"That..." he gasped, "was close..."

"You could do with shaping up a bit, Ron," said Dean as he, Seamus, and Neville walked through the door, laughing at Ron's reproachful glare.

"It's... the stairs..." he argued pitifully. "They are... murder..."

"Sure, Ron," said Harry as he pulled on his pajamas.

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!" he said, catching his breath and putting on his own pajamas.

"Oh yeah?" said Harry, sitting on his four poster. "Since when?"

"Since... oh whatever." He flung himself onto his own bed. "I'll start jogging the grounds next week, okay?"

This time all four of the boys in the dormitory chorused, "Sure, Ron."

Neville turned out the lights and they crawled under the covers.

"'Night, Harry," Ron called from the other side of his hangings.

"'Night," Harry replied drowsily. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

The next morning he got up fairly early, nervous about his first day teaching. He went to the window and looked out onto the grounds for a long time. There was smoke billowing from the chimney on Hagrid's hut. The lake was glassy smooth, and forest seemed tranquilly peaceful.

_If you just looked around these grounds,_ Harry thought, _you would have no idea of the evils going on outside those gates._

He would end it, though. As soon as he destroyed all of those Horcruxes he would face Voldemort. Then Harry remembered the Horcrux he would have to tackle this weekend, if R.A.B. was indeed Regulus Black and that locket was still at Grimmauld Place. He realized that he didn't know how to destroy it even if he did find it. Dumbledore had never told him...

He looked away from the window suddenly when he heard Ron stirring.

"What's up, mate?" Ron asked sleepily, yawning and getting out of bed

"Nothing," Harry said, moving away from the window as the rest of the dormitory awakened. He started to get changed for breakfast as the other boys got up and did the same.

"Come on," said Ron, hurrying out the door. "I'm starved."  
They went down to the Great Hall and began serving themselves plentiful helpings of eggs and bacon. Soon Hermione and Ginny joined them, and they chatted happily about what classes they might get that day.

"I hope I don't get Transfiguration first thing," said Ron as he downed a large cup of pumpkin juice. "To think of having McGonagall at the very beginning of the week..." He shuddered. "I wouldn't mind having Defense, though." He grinned slyly at Harry, but Harry shook his head.

"I hope not. I still have no idea what to teach the seventh years," he said, looking pointedly at Hermione, who nearly spat out her pumpkin juice in surprise.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry. I promise I'll look up some spells with you tonight."

"No, it's fine. I'll just be doing review for now, I guess." Harry had a feeling she would have rushed with him to the library now, but Professor McGonagall was coming toward them, handing out schedules.

"Here you go, Robbins," she said, handing Demelza Robbins her schedule. "Very good on your Transfiguration O.W.L., by the way."

"Thank you, Professor," said Demelza, and she hurried off to her class.

"Aha," said McGonagall as she reached Ron. "Here you go, Mr. Weasley. And I expect you to be on time to my class this morning," she added when she handed Ron his schedule.

Ron looked at it quickly and then grimaced. He shoved Harry his schedule. Harry had to suppress a laugh when he saw that they had Transfiguration first thing this morning.

"Miss Granger, here is your schedule." She handed Hermione her schedule and moved on to Harry.

"Potter, your schedule is complicated, as I'm sure you know. You will be teaching one class per year level and you will teach no more than two classes per day. Here you are." She handed him his schedule. "Also, your office is cleaned out. If you would like to put your teaching things in there, you may do so." She moved up a little to give Ginny her schedule.

Harry looked at what he was in for this year. It appeared he had Transfiguration this morning, then a free period, and then Charms. After lunch he taught his first lesson with the first years. Then he was free until dinner. All right, he could handle that. But tomorrow it appeared that he taught two lessons with the third and sixth years and took Potions. That would be a little more difficult, but at least he saw Ginny with the sixth year class. Then on Wednesday...

"Er, Harry? We've got to go, or we're going to be late," said Ron, waving his hand in front of Harry's face.

"Right," said Harry, folding his schedule and pocketing it. "Sorry."

They waved goodbye to Ginny and walked to Transfiguration. Hermione couldn't stop giggling because Ron had gotten exactly what he _didn't_ want.

"We're going to have a grand time in here every Monday morning, aren't we?" she asked pleasantly, and was tickled all the more when Ron slammed his bag on the desk, ripping it along the seam.

"Oh shove it," he said, fixing his bag with a flick of his wand and glaring at Hermione.

Harry was somewhat surprised when Hermione obeyed him and said nothing more of it. Then he realized that Professor McGonagall had just walked into the room, and all attention was on her.

"Welcome back, class," said Professor McGonagall stiffly, walking to the front of the room. "This year is perhaps your most difficult year, because you will be preparing for your N.E.W.T.s, which will take place at the end of the summer term. We will be doing mostly review until then, but we will work on complicated human transformations as well. I'm sure you all remember Professor Moody and the bouncing ferret incident." She paused while the students all laughed, remembering when the fake Mad-Eye Moody had turned Harry's archenemy, Draco Malfoy, into a ferret and bounced him all along the entrance hall.

"Yes, I'm sure you all found that very amusing. However," she paused and the whole class silenced, tensing to think of what McGonagall might say. "In this class you will be learning to do similar transfigurations that you may be practicing on each other. So if I were you, I'd stay on your classmates' good sides, incase they have the chance to turn you into a Chihuahua or something..."

The seventh years looked uneasily around at each other. Harry was very grateful that Malfoy was no longer here, for he would surely take revenge on Harry for that embarrassing scene in their fourth year.

"You will also be very pleased, I'm sure," McGonagall continued in a very sarcastic tone, "to hear that your amount of homework will be increasing." A great groan spread through the whole class. Was it possible for the teachers to give them any more homework?

When the class let out Hermione tore off to Arithmancy, uttering a hasty good bye. Harry and Ron hurried to the Gryffindor tower to unload their things and relax a little before Charms. They entered the common room a few minutes later, joining several sixth and seventh years that were enjoying their free period.

"So," said Ron," sitting down in one of the most comfortable squashy armchairs by the fire, "what are you going to teach the ickle firsties?"

"Oh, I dunno," said Harry, sitting down next to Ron and putting his feet up. "They are supposed to learn elementary wand safety. What should I tell them not to do with their wands?"

"Well, I could name a few..." said Ron, listing things off on his fingers. "Don't shove one up a troll's nose. Don't try to stop a flying car with one. Don't try to curse someone you hate with a broken one..."

"Nor try to erase someone's memory with a broken one," said Harry, laughing at all of the memories. "We sure did learn by experience, didn't we?"

"Yeah," said Ron, leaning back and closing his eyes. "Good times..."

They sat there and reminisced about the good old days for a few minutes. But all too soon it was time to go back downstairs for Charms. They grabbed their book bags and climbed back out of the portrait hole.

They walked into Charms class and took their seats. Hermione came in shortly thereafter, carrying twice as many books as she had at breakfast.

"Arithmancy is going to be rather difficult this year, I'm afraid," said Hermione, dumping her books onto the desk and making it sink slightly under the weight. "I hope you used your free period sensibly," she said, eyeing Harry and Ron sharply.

"Oh yes," said Ron mockingly, "We read _Hogwarts, a History,_ and made ourselves study schedules for the term."

Harry sniggered at this, but he soon stopped when Hermione gave him a lethal glare. He didn't have to worry about it much after that, though, because Professor Flitwick was clearing his throat for the class to begin. They all turned their attention to him.

"Good morning, class, and welcome back to Hogwarts," Professor Flitwick squeaked. "I hope your first day has been pleasant so far. Now, this year we will be learning more complicated charms than ever before. For instance, how many of you would like to learn how to make a Portkey?"

A rush of whispers spread through the class. Harry, Ron, and Hermione instantly sat up in their seats. Professor Flitwick chuckled.

"Yes, I thought many of you would be interested. However, that is not for a few months. Today and for the next few weeks we will be reviewing the work we have undergone for the past six years, in order of how we learned them. First of all, let's see how many of you remember the levitation spell." He flick his wand and feathers appeared in front of every person. "Please levitate this feather."

Harry smiled, remembering when Ron had used this spell to knock out a full grown mountain troll. He swished and flicked his wand, while muttering the incantation, _"Wingardium Leviosa."_ Harry's feather rose gently into the air. He noticed that only three other feathers were in the air: Hermione's, Ron's, and, to Harry's surprise, Neville's.

"Very good, Mr. Longbottom! You did that perfectly!" said Flitwick, clapping his hands in delight.

"I've been practicing all the spells we've learned ever since I turned of age," he said excitedly, beaming at the praise he was receiving.

"Well, good job, all four of you," he said, speaking to Harry, Ron, and Hermione as well. "Ten points to Gryffindor each. As for the rest of the class, I suggest you study up on that tonight. It is a very basic spell that you should know automatically."

The rest of the class period they practiced the various spells they'd learned in their first year. It was hard for Harry to remember all of them, but he thought he did fairly well. When the bell rang, though, it instantly hit him how nervous he was about teaching his first lesson that afternoon.

"Come on, Harry," Hermione urged gently when they reached the Great Hall and were sitting at the Gryffindor table. "You should eat something!"

"Why, so I can throw it all up again in a few minutes?" said Harry fiercely. "No, I think I'll pass, thanks."

Hermione opened her mouth to press further, but Ron shook his head at her. She sighed and went back to eating her sandwich.

"You'll do fine," said Ron comfortingly. "The first years will love you."

"Who will love him?" asked Ginny as she sat down next to Harry. "Do I need to go hex them and tell them to back off?"

"No, I was talking about the first year class Harry will be teaching after lunch," said Ron. "He's a bit nervous."

"Oh is that all?" said Ginny. "I can fix that." She leaned up and kissed him, making Ron look away. "That better?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah," said Harry, smiling a little. "Yeah, a bit better." But then the bell rang and Harry groaned.

"You'll do fine," said Ginny, standing up. "I have to go to Potions, but I expect a full report at dinner." She slung her bag over her shoulder and hurried away.

"Come on, mate," said Ron, standing and pulling Harry to his feet. "Let's go up to your new classroom."

They walked out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase, standing in front of the classroom and staring at the open door.

"This is odd," said Ron.

"Very odd," Harry agreed.

"Well," said Ron, patting him on the back and giving him a gentle shove. "Go get 'em. This is your classroom now. Remember that you are in control." He grinned and turned to go up to the common room.

Harry walked hesitantly into the classroom just as the tardy bell rang. All of the first years were sitting attentively in their seats. He walked over to the desk, which was empty as of yet because Harry had put nothing in it. To fill the space he placed his books on top. He felt very aware of all the eleven-year-olds staring at him.

"Er... good afternoon," he said nervously.

"Good afternoon," they all chorused.

Harry was not used to being echoed, so he stood there blankly for a moment. Then he decided he'd better do something.

"Er, my name is-"

"Please, sir," said a girl with a charming smile who was sitting in the front row. "You are the famous Harry Potter, sir."

"Er, yeah. I suppose that was obvious. And you are... Alena, right?" said Harry, remembering her from the sorting.

"Yes, sir," she replied, blushing a little.

"Well, since I only saw a few of you at the sorting, perhaps we should do roll call so I can remember all of your names," sad Harry, picking up the roll sheet and feeling that he was starting to get the hang of this. "Let's see..." He read out the list of names, which seemed to be fewer than normal, and tried to learn everyone's name and face. When he had finished he looked up.

"Right then," he said, walking toward the blackboard. "I am supposed to teach you elementary wand safety first off, so if you will please take notes-"

"Sir?" said Alena again, raising her hand and reminding Harry so much of Hermione that he nearly asked Alena if she had a long lost sister. "I've read your name in all sorts of books and things. I've also seen your name in the Daily Prophet. Do you really have that... that..."

"Scar?" Harry asked. She nodded.

"Yeah," he said, pushing back his unruly hair so the class could see his lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

"And did You-Know-Who really do that to you?" a boy from Ravenclaw by the name of Markus Blithe blurted out.

"Er, yeah, but now is not the time-"

"And what about you being a Parselmouth? Is that true?" asked a girl named Shannon O'Malley from Hufflepuff.

"Er, yeah," said Harry uncomfortably.

"Can you speak it to us?" asked Joshua Zanderfield excitedly.

Harry laughed at their reactions. "Maybe some other time. However right now I want you to take out your wands."

There was a rummage to pull out their wands. Harry pulled out his own. "Okay, basic wand safety. One big thing you need to know for defense is how to call for help."

"Do you ever call for help?" asked Vladimir Omega with a slight sneer.

"Er, yeah," said Harry quickly, trying not to get side tracked again. "If I need it and I am able to. Anyway-"

"So why didn't you call for help when You-Know-Who kidnapped you in your fourth year?" Vladimir asked accusingly.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. That was one of those memories he tried to block. When someone asked him questions about that so carelessly it touched a nerve. "I could not reach my wand at that time," he said patiently and turned back to the rest of the class. "All right, elementary wand safety. In order to call for help you must send red sparks into the air, which will show other wizards that you are in danger." Harry demonstrated, casually raising his wand into the air and sending up red sparks. "Why don't you give it a try?"

The first years hesitantly raised their wands into the air. Nothing happened. Harry had to suppress a smile.

"It does require a little thought, you know. Tell your wand to send up red sparks through your mind. Kind of like telepathy."

They all looked taken aback by this, probably thinking that if they simply waved a wand the right way it would do what they wanted.

_They have a lot to learn_, Harry thought. He looked around and saw their faces contorted in concentration. Suddenly, Alena's wand shot a shower of red sparks into the air.

"Great! That was perfect, Alena. That's all the time we'll spend on that. I suggest you practice that as homework." There was a loud groan. "Oh please, don't you complain to me about homework," said Harry, rolling his eyes. "Now, please take out your quills and ink. We'll be taking a few notes."

The rest of the class period went fairly well. They became more subdued as Harry gave them the notes to copy down. By the end of class he felt a lot better about himself and went up to the Gryffindor common room with a grin on his face.

"I take it your class went well," said Hermione when she saw Harry climbing through the portrait hole.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "It went pretty well. But I am kind of worried about that kid, Vladimir Omega. You know, the one that acts like Malfoy? He asked me a weird question. Well, it was more the way he said it. It was almost if he knew something I didn't. Or at least something more than anyone else."

"What did he ask?" said Ron curiously.

"He asked me why I hadn't called for help when Voldemort kidnapped me," said Harry quietly.

Ron and Hermione stared. "But," Hermione began. "Why would he ask something like that?"

"I don't know," said Harry, sinking into an armchair across from his two friends. "It was almost as if he knew someone who had been there."

"That git," said Ron, standing up angrily. "Let me go pound him. Or at least give him detention. Please, Hermione?" He looked at her pleadingly.

"No, Ron. Sit back down." She pulled him back into his seat. "All right, we'll keep an eye on him. But let's not worry about that right now. How did your lesson go otherwise?"

Harry said it had gone well. He told them all about it for the rest of their free period. Then he had to retell his story to Ginny at dinner. And once he had gotten up to the common room Dean, Seamus, and Neville asked about it as well. As he crawled into bed that night, he felt exhausted. It had been a long first day back and he very quickly drifted off to sleep.

The rest of the week went fairly well. There was a definite increase in homework, but Slughorn greeted Harry like a prodigal son when he got into his class, and Herbology wasn't too difficult. But Harry found himself looking forward most to his Defense classes.

On Tuesday he had taught the third and sixth years. The third years were all right, but the sixth years kept on asking how Harry could teach them if he had only just learned the stuff a year before. Harry would start to reply, but then Ginny would stand up for him. Demelza, Luna, and Colin Creevey chipped in as well and Harry was very grateful.

By the time Friday came along Harry wasn't nervous at all to teach the seventh years at the end of the day. He walked down to the classroom with Ron and Hermione after their free period in the common room. The bell rang and he called attention to his class.

"Hello everybody," he said, grinning. "Welcome to Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. This year we will all be learning this stuff together, since I haven't taken this class myself. But don't worry. Hermione probably already has the book memorized." They all laughed good-naturedly, and Hermione blushed a bit.

"Anyway, this year we will learn many of the most advanced defense spells, all nonverbally, of course." A sigh rippled through the classroom. "Yes, I know. I find it difficult sometimes too. But why do we use nonverbal spells in this class?" He nodded to Hermione, whose hand shot in the air.

"Your adversary will have no warning about what kind of magic you are about to perform, which gives you a split second advantage," Hermione intoned proudly.

Harry realized that she had said word for word what she had said a year before. "Good job. Right, well we will be doing mostly review-"

"Aw, come on, Harry!" Seamus blurted out. "Let's do something fun, like Patronuses. You know way more magic than us. Why can't you at least show us one new defensive spell?" The rest of the class nodded in agreement.

Harry thought for a moment. Then he smiled. "You are sure, Seamus, that you want me to show you a new defensive spell?"

"Yeah!" Seamus said excitedly.

"And what type of spell would you like to see? Name a few," said Harry casually.

"Oh I don't know. Perhaps how to repel the Furunculous curse, or kill giant spiders, or..." He continued to talk about various magical creatures and curses, but Harry wasn't listening. He pointed his wand at Seamus from under the desk and muttered very quietly, _"Langlock!"_

Instantly Seamus stopped speaking, making odd noises and pointing to his mouth. He moved his lips to form words, but his tongue had been magically glued to the roof of his mouth. He tried to tell Harry to undo the spell, making large movements that were quite entertaining. The entire class was roaring with laughter. Dean was actually rolling on the floor from the hilarity of it. Harry chuckled a bit, pointed his wand at Seamus, and whispered the counterjinx. There was an odd clucking noise and Seamus could speak freely. Instead, however, he just glared at Harry.

"That," said Harry when the class had calmed down some, "is a defensive spell commonly used against overly-talkative students."

The class laughed merrily and Harry gave Seamus a friendly pat on the back. "Sorry Seamus, but you really did ask for it."

Harry decided not to teach them the jinx that day, because he didn't want to walk around the halls to see unsuspecting students suddenly speechless. He had them review some of the very basic spells they had learned early on in their magical education. They all had a lot of fun and when the bell rang they were not too eager to leave.

"I'll see you in class next Friday," he said as everybody got up, slinging heavy book bags over their shoulders. Ron and Hermione walked out with him and they headed up to Gryffindor tower to drop off their bags before dinner.

"That was a really good lesson, Harry," said Hermione proudly.

"Yeah, I can't wait until you teach us that speechless one," said Ron excitedly. "I could hit Percy with it when he goes off on one of his tangents."

Hermione frowned. "That was one of the Prince's, wasn't it?"

Harry sighed. "Yeah. An evil man might have invented those spells, but at least some of them are quite useful."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment someone tapped Harry on the shoulder and they all turned around to see Alena Williams standing there, looking a little nervous and holding out a piece of parchment.

"Professor Potter?" she asked anxiously. Ron snorted, smiling. Harry gave him a dirty look to shut him up before turning back to Alena.

"Er, just call me Harry. Especially outside of class." Harry gave Ron a furious glance, who was turning purple trying to hold in a laugh.

"Sorry. But I have a message from Professor Hagrid. He told me to give this to you when I was passing him in the corridor." She handed him the note.

"Thanks, Alena," said Harry, and he ripped open the letter as she walked away. Hagrid's writing was on the parchment, his usually friendly scrawl.

_Dear Harry, _

I was jus' thinkin' how I hadn't seen yeh in a while. Why don't you, Ron, and Hermione come an' visit me tomorrow for lunch? We have a lot o' catchin' up to do.  
Hope to see yeh soon!

-Hargrid

Ron and Hermione, who had been reading over his shoulder, looked up. Ron looked excited, Hermione looked a little less keen.

"Weren't we supposed to go to Headquarters this weekend?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Harry, sighing at Hagrid's poor timing. "We'll just have to go to Grimmauld Place in the evening. Let's write Hagrid and say we'll be there


	6. Just a Scratch

Author's note: Okay you guys. I am SO EXCITED for this one. I love it so much! I hope you do too. Anyway, enjoy! Cheers!

-Julia Holtemore

Chapter 6  
Just a Scratch

The next morning Harry, Ron, and Hermione slept in fairly late. They went to breakfast and then went back up to the Gryffindor common room to discuss what they would be doing that evening.

"I know!" said Ron excitedly. "We can fly out the window on broomsticks! No one will see us!"

"No, we can't," said Harry. "There's millions of spells guarding the castle. We won't be able to get in or out without undoing them."

"I _still_ think we should tell Professor McGonagall where we are going first," said Hermione for about the hundredth time. They both glared at her. She rushed on. "Well, that would solve the spell problem, wouldn't it? And she did agree to let us leave the castle whenever we wanted. Right, Harry?"

Harry sighed. "Yes."

"So we can just ask her to open the gates for us, or show us how, and she'll do it," said Hermione finally, folding her arms.

Harry could see no other way around it. "All right, I'll go talk to her."

He stood up and walked out of the portrait hole. Then he walked down to the fourth floor to find the stone gargoyle. He was guessing that since Professor McGonagall had assumed the position as Headmistress, she had taken over Dumbledore's old office. But once he arrived at the entrance, he realized that he didn't know the password.

"Er," he said awkwardly. "Drooble's Best Blowing Gum?"

Nothing happened. Of course, McGonagall wasn't the type of person to have candy for a password. But what type of password _would_ she have?

"Er... Transfiguration? Stress? Discipline?" he threw out, realizing that he didn't know Professor McGonagall very well. The stone gargoyle remained immovable. Harry sighed. "The office was so much easier to get into with Dumbledore as-"

Suddenly the gargoyle leapt aside, revealing a moving stone staircase.

Harry blinked. "Dumbledore? That was the password? Well, I suppose that makes sense..."

He suddenly felt that familiar empty feeling he got whenever he thought about someone who had passed away from his life. He sighed and stepped onto the moving spiral staircase. When he reached the top landing to the office, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"You may enter," said Professor McGonagall, her voice muffled through the door.

Harry pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

It was very different from when Dumbledore had been occupying the office. Many of his odd instruments were gone, though the one that Harry had seen Dumbledore use in his fifth year that puffed pale green smoke out of a tube was still there. Instead there was another bookshelf and lots of open floor space. The rest of the place was very tidy and nothing looked out of order. Professor McGonagall was sitting at the desk, fingers interlocked and looking at him with an air of impatience.

"Yes, Potter?" she asked. "What is it?"

"Er..." Harry began. "I was wondering if – er – if you could unlock the gates on the grounds this evening."

She raised her eyebrows. "Whatever for, Potter?"

Harry shifted awkwardly on his feet. "I need to leave the castle with Ron and Hermione this evening for a few hours," he said, not looking at her.

She looked as if she was about to ask why, but Harry suspected that she remembered her promise not to. She stood. "I have one problem, Potter. I need to know exactly when you'll be returning. I simply cannot leave this castle unprotected so you can go off doing goodness knows what."

"Well," said Harry, "I'm not exactly sure when I will be returning."

McGonagall shook her head sadly. "Then I'm afraid that I cannot help you, Potter. Perhaps if you had-"

"What if you taught us how to undo the anti-Apparition spell? Just in one specific place?" Harry asked hopefully.

She considered this for a moment. "Where would you do so?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "How about Hagrid's pumpkin patch?"

Professor McGonagall paced the room for a long time, deep in thought. Finally she pulled a piece of parchment out of her desk drawer and grabbed a quill. Quickly she scribbled down some instructions. When she had finished she put the quill back in the ink well and folded the parchment.

"Here you go, Potter," she said, handing Harry the note. "Just promise me that you will let Miss Granger do it. All right?" She smiled slightly.

"Gladly," said Harry, grinning as he walked out of the office and closed the door behind him.

He rushed back up to the seventh floor, uttered a quick _"house elf"_ to the Fat Lady, and clambered through the portrait hole to find Ron and Hermione sitting in the exact same place waiting for him.

"Well," said Hermione when he had caught his breath and was sitting again. "What did she say?"

Harry quickly explained what Professor McGonagall had said and then handed Hermione the note that she had written her instructions on. Hermione opened the paper and read it over several times, her eyes flashing across each line.

"This is really complicated," said Hermione uncertainly.

"Can you do it, though?" Ron asked.

"Oh yes," said Hermione, folding the paper back up again. "I can do it. It will just take a few minutes in the library. I need to look up the wand movements for one of these incantations. I'll meet you at Hagrid's in thirty minutes." And with that she hurried out of the portrait hole.

"She's mad," said Ron, settling deeper into his chair. "Well, up for a game of wizard's chess before we go?"

"Sure," said Harry.

They played one quick game (which Ron won, of course) and then headed down to Hagrid's, bringing the invisibility cloak with them because they would be leaving straight from his place. They made it to the entrance hall and met Hermione on the way. Then they hurried across the beautiful grounds to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door.

"Come in, come in," said Hagrid, opening the door. He gave them each a bone crushing hug and then bustled about making tea. His boarhound, Fang, quickly accosted Harry and was soon drooling over his knee while Harry patted him on the head.

"So, said Hagrid, pouring tea into gigantic mugs and passing them around, "How've yeh been?" He looked at Harry particularly, gazing deep into his eyes until Harry looked away. "You gettin' on all righ'?"

Harry knew he was talking about how he'd been feeling since Dumbledore's death. In truth, Harry felt absolutely horrible, and found it difficult to be in Hogwarts every day knowing that Dumbledore would never return. But he really didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm doing fine, Hargrid. How are you?"

But the pain must have shown on his face, because Hagrid began to look at him with some concern.

"Harry, it's good fer yeh to let it out, yeh know. Yeh've watched three people die in less than three years. Yeh've got ter be hurtin' somethin' terrible."

Harry swallowed heavily. "Please, Hagrid. I don't want to talk about it." Hagrid looked as if he was about to say something, but Harry shook his head. "Please."

Ron and Hermione shifted awkwardly in their seats as Harry and Hagrid looked at each other, saying nothing. Finally Hermione broke the silence.

"So, Hagrid... how's, er, Grawp?"

Grawp was Hagrid's giant half-brother that Hagrid had saved from a tribe of giants two years previously. Hagrid stopped looking at Harry and a smile spread across his hairy face.

"He's doin' great! Actually, yeh'll never believe this, but he asked for yeh las' week, Hermione!"

A look of terror came over Hermione, but she hid it by smiling slightly. "Oh r-really?"

"Yeah, he kept o' sayin', 'Where Hermy? Hermy nice. Where Hermy!'"

"That's... That's great Hagrid," said Hermione in a high voice, paling slightly.

"An' then in July 'e says ter me..."

And so they discussed Grawp for a long time. Harry was just grateful to have the subject away from him. They had lunch and stayed there for many hours, talking about old memories and laughing at jokes. But when Harry saw that the sun was about to set he decided that they'd better get a move on.

"Well, we'd better go, Hagrid," said Harry, standing up. Ron and Hermione followed. "It was good to see you," he said.

"Yeh're sure you're all righ', Harry?" said Hagrid, the look of concern back on his face.

"I'm fine Hagrid," said Harry, grinning. "We'll see you later."

They walked out the door and into Hagrid's pumpkin patch, and Harry whipped out his invisibility cloak.

"You ready, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded and opened the note from McGonagall. Quickly re-reading, she raised her wand.

_"Exaltius,"_ she cried, moving her wand in a complicated motion, deep in concentration. Suddenly a blast of purple light issued from her wand. Quickly, she raised her wand into the air and traced a large circle in the sky. Then she turned it over and drew a circle on the ground that corresponded exactly with the one above. Finally the light dimmed, leaving a large circular groove in the ground.

"Quickly," said Hermione, "Let's go." She stepped into the circle and pulled Harry and Ron in with her.

"Can we Apparate, now?" Ron asked.

"Yes," said Hermione. "I'll see you outside Headquarters." Crack! She was gone.

"Ready?" Harry asked, looking at Ron, who nodded. "Let's go, then."

He turned on the spot and a moment later found himself in the middle of the dimly lit street of Grimmauld Place. Hermione was standing next to him and a second later so was Ron.

"Come on," said Harry, who had waited long enough to destroy this Horcrux. They marched up to the door of number twelve and Harry opened it.

As they stepped inside, Harry recognized nearly everything to be the same. There were a few missing trinkets, no doubt stolen by Mundungus Fletcher, but other than that it looked as if nothing had changed. Harry felt his eyes begin to burn as he thought about how Sirius helped them clean out this place, and how they had spent a Christmas here, and how Sirius had lived here to his dying day...

Harry shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He knew this would happen. He had promised himself he wouldn't come back here because of this. Closing his eyes for a moment he whispered to Ron and Hermione, "Let's go upstairs and find that locket."

They walked quietly up the stairs, careful not to step on the ones that creaked as they walked past the portrait of Sirius' mother. When they reached the correct room they hurried in and began searching the place.

"Where do you reckon it is?" Ron asked, pulling ancient books off a shelf and dropping them to the floor.

"I dunno," said Harry, chucking some old junk aside. "Keep looking."

"What does it look like again?" Hermione asked, tipping over the sofa and looking underneath it.

"It's a heavy gold locket with Salazar Slytherin's mark on it," said Harry quickly, opening a book and shutting it quickly when it began to scream.

"I don't know about a locket, but here's something unusual," said Ron from across the room. Harry and Hermione walked over and looked to where Ron was pointing. "I don't remember this thing from when we were cleaning out this place, do you?"

It was a simple ceramic jar, deep black in color. It was roughly the size of a Muggle soccer ball, only longer and not quite as wide. It had a lid with a skull for a handle and writing around the rim in some primitive language that Harry could not read. He was curious to see what was inside it. Evidently Ron was too, because he started to lift it off the shelf-

_"Don't touch it!"_ Hermione exclaimed, pulling Ron away.

"Hey," said Ron, shrugging her off. He and Harry stared at her in confusion. "What's up?"

"The stuff inside that is lethal," said Hermione worriedly.

"Do you have x-ray vision or something?" Ron asked disbelievingly. "How do you know that?"

"There are some advantages to taking The Study of Ancient Runes, Ron," sad Hermione with an air of impatience. "The inscription says: 'Black Powder, for blood traitors.' I've read about that substance. If it gets into you system it will kill you within seventy two hours if you don't get proper medical care."

Ron instantly backed away from the jar, wiping his hands on his robes. Harry headed back to where he had been looking before. "Come on," he said. "It's got to be here somewhere."

They searched the room top to bottom for at least thirty minutes. Needing a little break, Hermione sat down in a chair.

"I don't think it's here, Harry," said Hermione sadly, looking to where Harry was kicking things aside in frustration. "Perhaps Mundungus took it."

"No, he didn't," said Harry forcefully, straightening up.

"Oh, come on, Harry. This was just guess work on it actually being here. You can't be-"

"Mundungus didn't take it," said Harry, a smirk spreading across his face, "because I have it here in my hand."

_"What!"_ said Ron and Hermione together, dashing over to Harry, who opened his hand for them to see.

In his palm lay Salazar Slytherin's locket, complete with his sign, exactly as Harry had seen it in the Pensieve so many times last year.

"How do you destroy it?" said Ron, taking it gingerly out of Harry's hands. "Smash it with a hammer?"

"No," said Hermione, taking it from Ron. "No, Voldemort would have ensured it's safety from something so simple as that."

Ron glared at her as if she had insulted his intelligence.

"Actually," said Harry, "maybe it is that simple. Voldemort tends to overlook the simple things."

"Oh, come on, Harry," said Hermione in exasperation. "He wouldn't make it so easy as smashing it with a hammer. This is a piece of his _soul_ we are dealing with!"

"No, not that necessarily that simple," said Harry. "But..." he broke off, deep in thought. Dumbledore had told him that the one advantage Harry had over Voldemort was love; that is why he couldn't posses Harry. What if...

"Here, let me have it back. I'm going to try something." He took the locket from Hermione and clutched it in his fist. Then he closed his eyes, concentrating.

"Harry, what are you-"

But Harry shook his head, brow furrowed as he focused with all his might on the face of Sirius Black. He tried to remember everything about him: his scraggly hair, his bark-like laugh, his winning smile. Harry felt overpowering emotion, and realized how much he missed Sirius...

The locket began to grow hot in his hand, but he held on tight. Then it began to vibrate powerfully. Harry screwed up his eyes, realizing that the whole room was beginning to quake now. Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling. But Harry kept his focus on Sirius, ignoring the crashes he heard all around him of things that were falling off shelves.

Suddenly there was a burst of blinding light that Harry could see through his eyelids. The locket was emitting beams from the cracks in the metal. Harry didn't think he could hold on much longer. The heat was burning his skin...

He was thrown backward, dropping the locket and flying to the floor as a great concussion of energy exploded from the Horcrux. Hermione and Ron were thrown backward as well; he heard them slam against the floor. But he didn't dwell on them for too long because he felt a piercing pain in his right side that made his gasp for breath. After the energy waves had subsided, Harry looked down and saw the Black Powder jar shattered on the floor. He pulled back his robes and realized that he had landed on top of a particularly large shard and it had stabbed deep into his side. In slight panic he realized that large amounts of the powder had infected the wound, some of it already dissolving into the blood and muscle tissue.

Biting his lip, he pulled out a piece of the shard, but knew he hadn't gotten all of it. Some of it had broken off and was too deep and painfully stuck in there for him to get it. The wound was bleeding freely now, so he pressed his hand against it, gently applying pressure.

"Hermione?" Ron called, coughing from all of the dust in the air. "Harry? You two all right?"

Harry heard some rubble being shoved aside and more coughing. "I'm okay," came Hermione voice. "Harry? What about you?"

Quickly Harry shoved his robes over the injury. "I'm fine," he said quickly, struggling to get to his feet. The last thing he needed right now was for them to worry about him. He would get back to the school and see Madam Pomfrey in the morning.

"Good," said Ron, sounding relieved to see them all standing. "We're all okay. Where's the Horcrux?"

They all looked down. In the center of the room lay the locket, cracked open in two, completely harmless. They all grinned and whooped for joy.

"You did it, Harry!" said Hermione, hugging him before he could protest, not noticing his sharp intake of breath as pain shot up from his side. "You destroyed the Horcrux!" She pulled away, smiling.

"Yeah. I don't know exactly what you did, but great job, mate," said Ron, patting him on the back. "Hey," he said curiously. "What's that on your hand?"

Harry hastily wiped his left hand on his robes, which had blood all over it. "Nothing. I just scratched myself on a bit of wood." He grinned, though with some strain. His side was really starting to hurt quite a lot.

"Shall we get back, then?" he asked, eager to get back to the comfort of his four poster.

"Yes," said Hermione. "We need to return so we can turn the anti-Apparition spell back on in Hagrid's pumpkin patch."

They headed back downstairs, carefully jumping the squeaky ones again. They walked out the door and closed it gently behind them. Then they quietly made their way into the middle of the street and Apparated back to Hogwarts and Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Harry wanted to go straight in, starting to feel sick and lightheaded, but Hermione insisted upon putting all security devices back up. After a few complicated wand movements and a muttered incantation (_"descentius!"_), they headed back up to the castle. It took all of Harry's will to not cry out in pain.

_Hermione was exaggerating about that Black Powder, as always,_ he thought. _I'll be fine in the morning._

They made their way up the stairs. Ron and Hermione were talking excitedly about what they had done and Harry began to fall behind.

"Three down, three to go," said Ron happily. "Isn't that right, Harry?" He turned around to see Harry breathing heavily and clutching his side several yards behind. "Got a side ache, have you? And you say I'm not in shape? Ha!" He turned around with Hermione and continued up the stairs and through the portrait hole. Harry grimaced and followed after them.

"Where have you been?" said Ginny, standing up and going over to Harry, looking stern. "I haven't seen you all day- ...What's wrong?"  
She looked him up and down, from his pale, sweaty face to his hand that was covering his right side. "Are you okay? You don't look well."

Harry gave her a wan smile. "I'm just tired. I'm going to go to bed." He kissed her gently. "I'll see you in the morning." He walked up the spiral staircase to the boys' dormitory, trying not to limp. He pulled on his pajamas, crawled shakily into bed, and took off his glasses. Then he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. But it did not come easy to him as the pain in his side sharpened even more, and not until the early hours of the morning did he fall into a fitful slumber.

When Harry awoke the next morning he didn't immediately open his eyes. He was exhausted, drenched in icy sweat, and extremely cold. He didn't understand why he felt so ill. Then he remembered what had happened the night before with the Horcrux and the Black Powder. He reached down and gently touched his side, an act that shot waves of pain through his body. He thought he might vomit, but instead he shivered and opened his eyes.

Ron was fully dressed and lacing up his shoes. The other boys were up and about, getting ready, yawning, and putting on their robes. Ron looked over and saw that Harry was awake.

"Hey mate! You're up!" said Ron, grinning. He leaned over and whispered, "Great job, last night, by the way." Then he raised his voice to normal level. "Come on. Let's go down to breakfast. I'm starved."

Harry sat up, wincing and feeling lightheaded. The pain in his side seemed to have been multiplied a hundred fold. But he shrugged it off. It would get better soon.

"Harry... are you all right?" said Ron, looking at him a little more closely. "You look really pale."

"I'm fine..." Harry replied determinedly. He put on his glasses, which for some reason didn't help his vision in the slightest, and pushed himself out of bed, breathing heavily. As he got to his feet he felt rapidly chilled and dizzy. "I just... need to..." Suddenly his knees gave way and he face first onto the floor, groaning in pain.

_"Harry!"_

Ron ran to him, kneeling down beside him. He put his fingers on Harry's neck and applied a little pressure.

"He barely has a pulse!" Harry heard him say. "Neville, run and get Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. _Hurry!"_

Harry saw Neville's feet dash across the floor in slow motion and the sound of the footfalls were magnified in his ears. The floor seemed to be rolling under him. He shut his eyes.

"Dean, Seamus, help me get him over."

Harry felt hands grab him and turn him over so he was lying on his back.

"Ron," said Dean, sounding frightened. "He is covered in blood."

"His sheets are soaked too," came Seamus' voice. "Galloping Gargoyles, he must have been bleeding to death all night!"

"Harry," said Ron, his voice echoing oddly. Harry opened his eyes to see Ron leaning over him. "Harry, I'm going to look at your cut."

"No..." said Harry, trying to decide which of the two Rons he was supposed to be talking to. "I'm fine..."

But Ron ignored him and pulled up Harry's shirt. Ron, Dean, and Seamus all gasped.

"Harry," said Ron, now looking sick himself, "why didn't you tell us?"

"Tell you... what?" He raised his head from the floor just enough to see his side where he had landed on the pottery shards the night before. There was a gaping wound about three inches long and perhaps two inches deep. It was all bloody and purple with infection.

"It's just... a scratch..." said Harry, letting his head drop back onto the floor with a thud.

"If that's just a scratch, then I'm the Minister of Magic," said Seamus.

"Come on," said Ron to Seamus and Dean. "Let's get him onto my bed. His is all bloodied up."

They lifted Harry carefully, though it was still very painful, and placed him on Ron's bed.

"Stay with us now, Harry," said Ron worriedly.

Harry was trying to do just that, but he was finding it somewhat of a struggle to stay conscious. He was starting to feel that all-encompassing blackness creep up on him when the door burst open.

"What's going on?" came Hermione's voice. "We heard a loud-"

But she never finished her sentence because at that moment there was a blood-curdling shriek.

_"Harry!" _

A second later Ginny was kneeling beside him, pale and frightened.

"What happened?" she demanded, rounding on Ron, Dean, and Seamus.

"We don't know," said Dean. "He just got out of bed and collapsed to the floor, covered in blood."

"He didn't come in contact with that Black Powder, did he?" Harry heard Hermione whisper to Ron, sounding alarmed.

Harry didn't hear Ron's reply because he suddenly felt another wave of pain and his eyes slid back out of focus. Ginny pushed his damp hair off his brow and felt his forehead.

"He's burning up," she said grimly.

Harry thought this was odd, since he felt very cold. He shivered, wishing he could be sitting next to a fire somewhere.

The door burst open a second time and Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, and Neville all filed in.

"All right, Potter, what's wrong?" said Madam Pomfrey, rushing to his bedside and setting her medicine bag down.

"N-nothing..." said Harry, swallowing heavily.

"Don't listen to him," said Ron. "He's got a big gash in his side and he's bleeding all over."

Ron pointed to where the cut was and Madam Pomfrey pulled back Harry's shirt.

"Ah," she said professionally. "I see. There is a piece of something in there. I'll have to get it out before I heal it up." She pointed her wand at the wound and muttered an incantation under her breath.

If this was supposed to make Harry feel better, it didn't work. He felt as if someone had jabbed a white hot knife into his already injured side. His body jerked involuntarily and he arched his back to get away from whatever was causing the pain. He groaned, too weak to even cry out.

"Dear me!" said Madam Pomfrey, looking worried now. "What ever created this wound was some sort of dark object. It is preventing me from healing it by magic, or even numbing the pain."

"Yes, ma'am," said Hermione quietly. "We think he got infected with some Black Powder." Ron nodded in agreement.

Madame Pomfrey paled slightly. Then she leaned down and drew a strange instrument out of her bag and looked up at Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville. "You're going to have to hold him down. I can get it out by hand, but he must stay absolutely still."

Harry didn't like the sound of that. That meant it was going to hurt a lot. He looked pleadingly up at Ron.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Ron muttered. Then he pulled Harry's arm away from his side and held it down firmly. The others did the same with his other arm and legs.

"Are you ready, Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked gently.

Harry turned his head away and closed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and nodded.

"All right, then. On the count of three. One... two... three!"

All-encompassing pain hit him; he felt like he was getting hit with the Cruciatus Curse again. His muscles tensed, trying to pull away, but his friends were holding him tight. The pain in his side was almost past endurance. His eyes were watering with it. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and didn't say a word. After a moment that seemed like hours, the pain subsided a little.

"Got it," said Madam Pomfrey. She held up a long sharp object that was covered in sticky blood. "You can let go now," she said, nodding to the four boys.

Harry felt his hands freed and his body went limp. He was wracked with pain and he felt exhausted. He also felt very ill, shivering uncontrollably.

"There you go, Potter," said Madam Pomfrey, placing a large bandage on his side and pulling the covers up to his chin. "Now I know it hurts, but try and rest." She stood up and turned to Ron and Hermione. "You're sure it was Black Powder?"

Hermione nodded, looking distressed. "Y-yes," she said. She pointed shakily to the pottery shard that had just come out of Harry's side. "Th-that is a piece of the jar that was holding the powder."

"When did he come in contact with it?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"J-just last night, I think," said Hermione, very near tears. "I... I should have realized it right off. I-I should've-"

"Shh, it's not your fault," said Ron, hugging her tightly as she cried into his shoulder.

Madam Pomfrey picked up her bag and headed for the door, closely followed by Professor McGonagall. Their voices carried to Harry's ears.

"Minerva," said Madam Pomfrey, "I don't have the cure for Black Powder on hand. I'll have to brew some up. But right now he needs to take blood-replenishing potion every three hours and rest. I'll send up the potion as soon as I can, but can you move the other boys to a different dormitory? Anything stressing him could be fatal."

McGonagall nodded and opened the door for Madam Pomfrey.

"Poppy..." she said hesitantly. "Can... can you save him?"

Madam Pomfrey bit her lip, looking back at Harry lying in bed. "I just don't know, Minerva. He needs the care of specialists, but I'm afraid to move him to the hospital wing, let alone St. Mungo's. Right now I just want to keep him stabilized." She gave Professor McGonagall a feeble smile. "It's a good thing this is Harry Potter we're talking about. I can think of no one else that can recover from this as well as him." Then she walked out of the room and closed the door.

"Harry..." said Ginny, sounding far away. "Are you all right?"

Harry nodded slowly. He felt sleepy even though his side was still throbbing and he felt ill. "Tired," he croaked, closing his eyes.

"All right," he heard Professor McGonagall say. "Finnigan, Thomas, and Longbottom, thank you for your help, but would you mind going down to breakfast, now?"

He heard footsteps fading away down the stairs. Then he felt Ginny grab his hand and say, "Don't worry, Harry. We'll stay with you."

He weakly squeezed Ginny's hand before falling to sleep.

"He's still so pale. Has Madam Pomfrey found a cure yet?"

"No, but she says she is working on it."

"So will Harry be okay?"

"She... she's not sure. He's in a very fragile condition. Anything could... could tip the scale."

Harry shivered and opened his eyes. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting in the corner of the dormitory, all looking very tired and worried. The curtains were drawn over the windows and the candles were extinguished, making the room very dark. His side was still very painful. He groaned and tried to bury himself deeper into the warmth of the bed. His friends in the corner looked around.

"Harry, you're awake!" said Hermione as they rushed over to his bedside. "Are you feeling better? Do you need anything?"

Harry shivered again. "Cold..." he mumbled.

Ron grabbed an extra blanket and threw it over him. "Is that better?" he asked.

Harry nodded and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

"Wait," said Ginny quickly so that Harry opened his eyes again. "Before you fall back to sleep you need to drink this. Madam Pomfrey just sent it up." She helped him raise his head and tipped the liquid into his mouth. He grimaced at the taste and found it difficult to swallow.

"Does it taste awful?" asked Hermione.

Harry nodded again, wincing as he felt a jolt of pain in his side. He let his head drop back onto the pillow.

"Harry," said Hermione. "Why on earth didn't you tell us you were hurt?"

Harry realized his excuse was rather feeble now. "Didn't... want you... to w-worry," he said weakly.

"Well how do you think we feel now?" said Ginny angrily.

"It's not... not that bad," Harry replied, his voice barely above a whisper. And to prove his point he started to sit up. As soon as he did so, however, his whole body protested and he dizzily laid back down, panting and sweating from the effort.

"Mate, if you can't even sit up, I'd say it's bad," said Ron grimly. "If you had told us about this straight away this wouldn't have happened. You could have _died_."

"It wouldn't be... the first time..." said Harry feverishly.

"_Never_ do that again!" said Ginny forcefully. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life!" Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.

Harry smiled weakly. "Dunno... what you're... complaining about. I'm the one... w-who's hurt..." He screwed up his face as he felt another twinge of pain.

"Yes, you are hurt," said Ginny, tucking the covers back under his chin. "So go to sleep and get better. Madam Pomfrey will be up in a bit to check up on you."

So Harry went back to sleep and throughout the day was aroused to drink more blood-replenishing potion. His side still hurt terribly, but he didn't feel quite so sick after a while. Madam Pomfrey came to check on him a few times, replacing the bandages on his injury. Then late at night, long after most of the castle had gone to bed, Harry woke up to rushed footsteps and the door being wrenched open.

"Wake up, Potter," said Madam Pomfrey, hurrying across the room, "and drink this." She opened her bag, looking for something. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had all been sleeping in chairs by the bed. Suddenly they jerked awake.

"Have you found a cure?" asked Ginny sleepily, sitting up.

"I believe so," said Madam Pomfrey, taking a large bottle out of her bag. "It won't go away instantly. He'll need to take several doses over the next few days. But he ought to be fine by this time next week." She poured out a cup of liquid and helped Harry sit up painfully. "Now I need you to drink all of it. _All of it!"_ she said sternly when Harry made a face and turned away. "Do you want to get better or not?"

Harry sighed. "Yes..."

Grudgingly, Harry wrinkled his nose and drank the stuff. It was disgustingly thick and chunky, tasting slightly like rubber tires. When he had finished the whole cup Madam Pomfrey set it by the bottle on the bedside table.

"There," she said. "You should start feeling better soon, but you are _still not well_. You are not going to want to start walking around any time soon."

"How... did you...?" Harry croaked, confused. She seemed to have read his mind. Just then he had been thinking about getting up in a few hours and walking down to the common room.

"I know you, Potter," she said simply. "But you must stay in bed." She turned to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Can you three make sure of that?"

They nodded. Harry glared at them from where he lay as Madam Pomfrey snapped her bag shut.

"Good." She walked toward the door and suddenly stopped. "And, Potter? No funny business. I'll put a guard at the door if I have to. Drink a cup of both potions every few hours. I'll be up tomorrow afternoon with more." She walked out the door and everyone in the room settled down again.


	7. Eavesdroppers

A/N: I'm _really_ sorry I took so long to post this. I tried to earlier and the blasted site wouldn't let me. Arg. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Cheers!

-Julia Holtemore

Chapter Seven  
Eavesdroppers

The next day Harry felt considerably better. He was very restless and wanted to get out of bed, but no one would hear of it. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had to go to class, so Harry was left alone for hours at a time, leaving him incredibly bored. His side was still hurting a lot and the bleeding hadn't stopped yet, but he had felt much worse before. He was particularly annoyed that he was not able to teach his classes.

"Don't worry about it," said Ron when he came up for his free period. "They've cancelled Defense classes until you're well."

This didn't really make Harry feel any better. He wanted to get up and teach, or at least do _something_. Being confined to a bed had him very irritable.

Also, according to Ginny, rumors had been flying about Harry's disappearance from lessons. Some fifth years were originally saying he'd been kidnapped by a band of giants, and a first year swore he saw Harry jump off of the Astronomy Tower. Dean, Seamus, and Neville set them right for a little bit, describing what happened when Harry collapsed on Sunday morning. But soon they had twisted their own story so that a masked werewolf came in the middle of the night and stabbed Harry several times with an Acromantula pincer.

"You'd think that they would find the real story exciting enough," said Harry, laughing a little.

"The real story was much too exciting if you ask me," said Ginny earnestly, making Harry stop laughing immediately and apologize.

Throughout the week Harry's condition steadily improved. He didn't have to take the potions nearly as often and Madam Pomfrey relaxed a bit, allowing him to get up and about occasionally. While everyone was at class he would go down to the common room and work on homework that he had to make up for missing so many lessons. He also read more into his copy of _Advanced Defense_, deciding what new things he would have to learn to teach the seventh years. He found a very interesting spell, the Mucilage Curse. It causes an incredibly sticky substance to spray from your wand onto the ground, walls, your attacker, or anywhere of your choice. Harry thought he might teach them that when he found the time.

By Friday Harry was completely cured and felt like running around the castle a few times. He insisted upon teaching the seventh years and there was nothing Ron, Hermione, Ginny, or Madam Pomfrey could say to convince him otherwise.

"Well, at least rest until it's time for your lesson," said Madam Pomfrey exasperatedly. "Then you can go and teach."

So Harry hung around Gryffindor Tower until it was time, and then he walked downstairs with Ron and Hermione to his classroom on the fourth floor. The bell rang and everyone took their seats.

"All right," said Harry, "Today we will be reviewing the Unforgivable Curses. I trust you all remember when Professor Moody taught us that?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Please tell me what they are and what they do."

Everyone shouted out various names and functions, and Harry wrote them on the board.

"Right. The Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Avada Kedavra. Control, torture, and death. These three curses are rampant these days. How many of you know some one who has been hit by one of these curses by someone intending to hurt them?"

Harry knew that Neville would raise his hand, and perhaps a few others. But to his complete surprise, every single member of the class raised their hands into the air.

"_All_ of you!" said Harry, raising his eyebrows, slightly sickened.

"Well, Harry," said Hermione quietly. "You have been hit by all three of those curses at least once. And by Voldemort himself, no less."  
Harry's eyes widened. He realized this to be true. Voldemort had tried to kill him as a baby, and in his fourth year he had hit him with both the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse.

"Er... Harry?" said Ernie McMillan hesitantly. "Forgive me for asking this – you don't have to answer - but... what was it like?"

Harry felt suddenly cold. The Cruciatus was more pain than anyone could imagine. Voldemort had hit him with it several times, and he could remember it leaving him in such a weakened state that he could barely move. And the Imperious Curse, though not painful, was what Voldemort tried to use on Harry to make him obey whatever he was commanded to do, which was an absolute horror at the thought. And as for the Avada Kedavra? It had left him with a scar that caused him great pain often. It also took away his parents, his friend, his godfather, and his mentor.

"Completely unforgivable," he mumbled, becoming aware again of how deep his hatred of Voldemort ran through him. He glared at the back wall unseeingly.

"Er... Harry?"

He jumped and realized everyone was looking at him. He continued with his lecture.

"Sorry. The point is, these curses are illegal, but used constantly now that Voldemort is back in power." There was a shudder at the sound of the name. "You need to be prepared to fight back, and that is why we have this class." He turned and wrote on the board in big bold letters as he said, "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The rest of the period they practiced shield charms against strong stunning spells that Harry sent at them. Most people were knocked out and had to be revived. But Harry was pleased to see that three people managed to block his stunners: Ron, Hermione, and Neville. He told everyone else to practice the shield charm for homework and vaguely hinted that perhaps next time they could work on Patronuses. Everyone left the classroom in a state of excitement. Harry, Ron and Hermione walked up the stairs to the common room, talking about how hungry they were.

"You think you have it bad? At least you haven't had to guzzle down potions for a week!" said Harry in aggravation when Ron mentioned not getting enough for lunch.

Ron and Hermione looked sadly at Harry. "Well, at least you're better now," said Hermione. "Anyway, I've got to hurry to the Owlery. I'll see you at dinner, all right?" She started to walk away when Ron called to her.

"Why do you have to go to the Owlery?" he asked.

"To send a letter, Ron," she said, rolling her eyes and continuing down the crowded corridor.

"To whom?"

She stopped. Without turning around she mumbled, "Viktor."

Ron's jaw dropped. "You're _still_ writing him?"

"Yes," said Hermione defiantly, turning around. "He sent me an owl the other day. He says hello to Harry, by the way."

"Oh," said Harry, not exactly sure how to respond. He hadn't seen Viktor Krum since his fourth year. "Er, okay."

Suddenly someone pushed passed him, nearly knocking him over.

He looked around to see Vladimir Omega running down the corridor.

"What's up with him?" Ron asked, staring at the first year as he bolted down the stairs. Harry shrugged, bewildered. Ron turned back to Hermione, presumably to shout at her, but she was gone. Harry continued up to the common room, closely followed by a grumbling Ron.

Dinner was a quiet occasion for Harry and his friends. Ron and Hermione were not speaking to each other, so Harry and Ginny spent a lot of the time forcing conversation. Soon they gave up, though, and just left them in peace to glower at each other.

Over the next month or so things started to level out. Schedules and lessons went back to normal (or as normal as they can be for Hogwarts). Harry enjoyed teaching all of his classes, but noticed that the first years were progressing particularly fast. They picked up things extremely quickly, and seemed resolute to master everything.  
One day when Harry was teaching them how to light their wands and they all got it straight away, he asked them appreciatively why they were so determined.

"Well, sir," said Alena, her hand in the air. "You-Know–Who is out there, and we want to be prepared." The rest of the class nodded in assent. Everyone except for Vladimir Omega and a few other Slytherins, who Harry noticed were glaring at Alena with the deepest contempt. "And," Alena continued, hand still raised, "we know that if we want to be as good as you, we have to work hard."

Harry was taken aback by this. He couldn't really think of anything to say. "Er, thanks. I appreciate your hard work. If you all keep it up we may be able to progress a lot further, like into second and third year curriculum."

The first years jabbered away excitedly, but Harry wasn't paying attention. He was watching Vladimir carefully. There he was, sitting in the back with his Slytherin cronies, whispering behind cupped hands.

They all gave Harry a shifty glance and stopped talking suddenly, turning to face him.

"Yes, sir?" said Vladimir coolly. "Is there something wrong?"

Harry eyed him for another moment and then shook his head. "No. But will you please show me how to light up your wand tip?"

September and October flew by quickly, and before Harry knew it two things were hurtling toward him. He was still the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and he had to train his players vigorously for the next match. There was also the first Hogsmeade weekend, which would take place the day of Halloween. When the weekend arrived Ron and Hermione, who had started speaking to each other again and wanted a little more time together, decided to meet Harry and Ginny at the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer at noon. Harry and Ginny agreed and they broke off to explore the village of Hogsmeade.

They strolled down the main street, enjoying the open air and looking in various shop windows. Ginny insisted upon buying a bag of Dungombs at Zonko's, no matter how many times Harry told her that she wouldn't be able to get it into the school. She said she would find a way. And in Honeydukes they bought all of their favorite wizard candies, including Fizzing Whizbees and Chocolate Frogs. Harry couldn't help rubbing it in that he had gotten the coveted Carlotta Pinkstone card, which Ginny had been wanting for quite some time. After a pleasant morning they realized it was almost noon and headed over to the three broomsticks.

They walked inside and loud jabbering and warm air reached their ears. This was the most popular stop in the whole village. Aside from the many Hogwarts students third year and above, all sorts of beings were there, including a few Hags and a group of Goblins. Ginny went and got a table while Harry bought two bottles of butterbeer. As he pushed through the crowd to where Ginny was sitting he got quite a few hellos and pats on the back. Ever since he had started teaching he had rarely been treated rudely and everyone had been pretending to be his best friend. He smiled at them and sat down next to Ginny.

"Quite popular, aren't you?" she said darkly, looking threateningly at a hoard of giggling fifth year girls at a nearby table.

She shook her head and took a swig of butterbeer. Harry just smiled. Ginny wasn't the possessive type, but she had a jealous side to her.

"They probably just want good grades," he said, shrugging it off.

"Oh please," Ginny scoffed. "They may want good grades, but they also want the protection, fame, and good looks of 'the Chosen One'." She smiled. "Lucky I'm here."

The door to the pub opened and Ron and Hermione walked in. While Ron went to get some more butterbeer Hermione came and sat next to them.

"How was your date?" said Harry, thinking to himself that it sounded odd to say that about Ron and Hermione. They had been just friends for so long.

"Oh, it was... fun..." said Hermione, blushing a little.

Ginny and Harry laughed knowingly as Ron came over and sat down, handing Hermione a butterbeer.

"So, what have you two been up to?" he asked.

"Oh, not much," said Ginny carelessly. "Fighting vampires and killing skrewts. The usual."

They chuckled and Harry told them the somewhat truer story of the morning's activities. Ron and Hermione simply refused to say what they had done and so they changed the subject to a much more serious matter.

"So have you done any more research about the Black Powder?" Harry asked, mainly to Hermione. They had all stayed up late many nights discussing how none of them remembered the jar being at headquarters two years ago, and how the powder gotten in there in the first place. Hermione had said she would go to the library and look up some things, but Harry hadn't heard anymore about it.

"Well, actually, I did find some-"

"Shh," said Ginny, looking around. All three of them stared at her, startled. "Is it just me," she asked them, lowering her voice, "or do we have half the pub listening in on our conversation?"

Harry looked around. Blaise Zabini and a group of Slytherin seventh years looked away as he made eye contact and few of the regular drunk wizards that hung around suddenly became very interested in their drinks. Harry turned back to his friends.

"I'll see you back a school in about half an hour," he said, standing up. He took a few steps toward the door.

"Harry," said Ginny, standing as well, "where are you-"

"I'll see you in half an hour," he repeated, and he walked briskly out the door into the cool autumn air.

_So people were eavesdropping, were they?_ Harry thought turning up a side street that lead to the Shrieking Shack. _How could I have been so stupid? People have been following me around all day, and I never noticed!_ That was the last time he would let himself be lured into a false sense of security. He reached the place he had been looking for and pulled out his invisibility cloak. He had been carrying it around all the time. That was what Dumbledore had advised him to do as a matter of security, so Harry had been dragging it with him everywhere. He hadn't told anyone else this, though. He felt that would sort of defeat the purpose.

He waited there, watching the road, for several minutes. Then he suddenly heard a crackle of leaves behind him. He realized he hadn't been watching the trees and whirled around. Forgetting he had the cloak on for a moment, he pulled out his wand and snuck around as quietly as possible, trying to get behind the person that had been following him. He heard another crackle after a moment and was satisfied to hear that it was now directly in front of him. He pointed his wand at the source of the noise and thought, _"Petrificus Totalus!"_

There was a crash in front of him and he rushed over to see who he'd hit. When he'd pushed his way through the bushes his jaw dropped and he pulled off his cloak.

_"Ron?"_

Ron just stared up at him, not able to move a muscle.

"Oh, sorry." Harry hastily muttered the counterjinx and Ron sprang back into motion.

"What did you do that for?" he said, allowing Harry to help him up.

"I was trying to catch whoever was following me. But it was you. Why didn't you tell me?" said Harry angrily.

"I wasn't following you originally. It's just that...now don't get mad, Harry," said Ron defensively, "but after the whole Black Powder fiasco, McGonagall doesn't really trust you. She's asked us to keep a close eye on you."

"WHAT!" Harry burst out.

"B-but we weren't tailing you or anything. We've just been... well..."

"Treating me like a little child that can't take care of himself," Harry grumbled.

Ron couldn't seem to find anything to say to that. They were quiet for a moment, staring at each other. Finally, Harry broke the silence.

"Well, there's no hope of catching the person now," said Harry, shoving his invisibility cloak back into his bag. "We might as well go back up to the castle and meet up with Hermione and Ginny. Unless they're somewhere around here too?" Harry added, looking around quickly.

"No, no," said Ron, sounding relieved that Harry wasn't going to yell at him. "They're up at the castle. I came alone." Together they walked back to the main street and then up the lane through the winged boar flanked gates and up to the castle. Hermione and Ginny were waiting in the common room.

"Well, what happened?" Hermione asked expectantly.

"Nothing," Harry sighed, sitting down. "Well, I caught Ron following me and hit him with a full body bind jinx on accident."

"On accident? You snuck around and hit me from behind!" said Ron.

"Well, I thought you were someone else," said Harry, still disappointed that he hadn't caught the person.

The rest of the day they discussed who could have been tailing Harry and why. Harry was very curious as to why Blaise Zabini would be interested in his conversation with Ginny, but no one else seemed to worry too much, so he shrugged it off. The hours wore on, and after several games of wizard chess an Exploding Snap, the group headed down to the Halloween feast.

As usual, the feast was spectacular. There were decorations lining the walls of the Great Hall, including black burning candles and Hagrid's giant pumpkins. There was also a kick line of dancing skeletons and the ghosts put together a very mournful singing performance. The food consisted of all sorts of treats and desserts, including several of Harry's favorites. He wasn't in the mood, however, and kept finding himself glaring at Zabini and his little Slytherin gang. Finally he could no longer handle the loud and happy chatter of the great hall and decided to go to bed early. He stood and walked out the door, saying that he was tired. As he headed up the marble stair case he heard footsteps behind him.

"Harry, wait for me!"

Harry whirled around to see Ginny running up the steps to him. He stopped and let her reach him, and then they slowly walked up the stairs together.

"Why are you coming?" he asked, perhaps a little harsher than he had intended.

"Hmm... love you too," she replied with a pretend frown.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." They were quiet for a moment. Harry waited expectantly for her answer.

"Something weird always happens to you on Halloween," she said quietly. "I figured... just in case..."

Harry though about that for a moment. Yeah, odd things did tend to happen to him on Halloween. There was a mountain troll attacking Hermione, then a deathday party and a petrified cat, then a supposed murderer attacked the Fat Lady, then his name came out of the goblet of fire...

They reached the portrait hole. _"Witching Hour,"_ Harry muttered, and the portrait swung forward. He and Ginny climbed in. The common room was deserted. Everyone was still down at the feast.

"Well, I don't see any banshees jumping out at me, said Harry, not able to help grinning a little.

"Oh well," Ginny sighed, smiling. "I guess you get a quiet Halloween this year."

"That's fine by me," said Harry wearily. "I'm going to go to bed. Good nigh-"

Suddenly Harry's scar exploded with pain. He jerked backward, slamming himself against the wall and then falling to the floor. The pain was blinding him. He was no longer aware of where he was. He felt sure that his head would split along his scar. And in the midst of the pain he heard a high-pitched hiss in his ear. _"What are you waiting for, Harry? I know you desire revenge."_ Then Harry saw again before his eyes what had been visiting his nightmares all summer.

Snape stood on the wall of the Astronomy tower. Dumbledore was pleading with him. Snape snarled, raised his wand and shouted _"Avada Kedavra!"_ Dumbledore's body flew into the air, over the wall, and then fell to the ground far below.

_"I did it, Harry," _the voice hissed. _"I am the reason for his demise, and I am looking forward to destroying you as well."_

And then Harry found himself panting on the floor, clutching his scar that was still burning painfully. Ginny was standing over him, talking loudly.

"Harry! _Harry!_ Are you all right? I _knew_ this would happen. Are you okay?"

Harry was sweating and shaking all over. He took a deep breath and sat up.

"Why..." he gasped, hand still over his forehead, "does everything... happen... to me?"

"Come on," said Ginny, helping him up and looking relieved that he was coherent. "Sit down here in the chair."

Harry let her lead him over to the chair, where he sat down gratefully. His scar wasn't hurting so much now, but he was incredibly sore from smashing into the common room wall. He gingerly touched a large lump on the back of his head, which was stinging.

"What happened, Harry?" said Ginny calmly, sitting across from him and looking deep into his eyes. "What did Voldemort want?"

Harry realized that this was the first time Ginny had said Voldemort's name and suddenly felt immensely grateful that this was Ginny he was talking to. She was someone who would take him seriously and keep a cool head. He sighed and explained to her what he had heard and seen.

"You haven't been practicing Occlumency, have you?" she asked sternly.

"Well, no," said Harry shamefully. "But even if I had it wouldn't have done any good. You saw it. I wasn't even asleep. How am I supposed to keep my head clear when I'm thinking about _you_?"

Ginny smiled sadly. "Aw, that's sweet. But you have to try. Voldemort is clearly trying to get at you, Harry. You need to fight back."

Harry was about to protest and say it is ridiculous to wipe your mind blank while trying to teach Defense, but at that moment the portrait hole opened and a loud babble of voices filled their ears. People were flooding into the common room, talking excitedly.

"Let's go to bed," said Ginny, standing. Harry followed in suit. "We'll talk about it in the morning."


	8. Suspicious Encounters

Chapter Eight  
Suspicious Encounters

Harry told Ron and Hermione about his scar the next and they agreed that he should start Occlumency again. Harry knew they were right and grudgingly started to practice before he went to bed. He found it difficult to empty his mind at first, but it was nothing compared to when he was practicing with Snape. He avoided those kinds of thoughts, though, because sudden anger would well up inside of him and not only would he not be able to empty his mind, but he wouldn't be able to sleep, either.

Over the next two weeks things seemed to calm down. There was just as much homework, mind, but there were no Black Powder wounds or sneering Slytherins. The only thing that Harry had to worry about was Quidditch. The first game of the season was in two days and Harry had to train his team. Huddled on the Quidditch pitch after a particularly successful practice, Harry gave them a quick talk.

"Dean, you ought to fly a little higher so you can get open more easily. And Ginny, wait until you get a little closer to the goal posts before you try to score. You may be a fantastic shot, but we don't want to if risk you missing. Other than that, great practice, guys."

Harry clapped his teammates on the back and walked to the changing rooms with Ron and Ginny, laughing about how they were going to trounce the Hufflepuffs on Saturday.

"That was a really good practice," said Ron, putting on his cloak. "We're definitely going to win the cup again this year!"

"That depends on the competition," said Harry, frowning. "I haven't had time to scope them out yet, but the other teams might have a fantastic new seeker, or something-"

"Oh give yourself some credit, Harry!" said Ginny, rolling her eyes and smiling. "You're the best seeker there is, and you know it."

The rest of the team heartily agreed and showered him with compliments on being not only a brilliant seeker, but a great captain. Although Harry still had his doubts as he walked with his friends out of the changing rooms, he felt a little better after that.

They met Hermione, who had been watching practice from the stands, a little way up the hill. She quickly joined them and they all hurried into the entrance hall to get out of the cold November air. Ron was walking backwards, facing them all and talking in detail about their upcoming match.

"And then, just after Ginny scores three goals single-handedly and I save equally as much, Harry will swoop down, as usual, and snatch- _uf!"_

Ron stopped speaking suddenly when he backed right into another person and fell to the floor. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were all laughing as Harry gave him a hand up. Ron grumbled something about how people should be watching where they're going and turned around to see who had knocked him over.

Vladimir Omega was standing smugly in the center of a group of Slytherins, all at least six years his senior. He was tapping his foot impatiently beside a scowling Blaise Zabini.

"Well?" he asked with an air of superiority. "Aren't you going to apologize and pick up my books, which you so rudely knocked out of my hands when you were making a fool of yourself?"

Ron stared in disbelief. Here was a little eleven-year-old sitting there trying to boss him around. He gave Harry a quizzical look, but Harry just shrugged, completely at a loss for words. Ron turned back to Vladimir.

"Listen, er, munchkin-"

"Ron!" said Hermione, exasperated.

"What? He's short and-"

"Are you going to pick up my books, or not?" said Vladimir arrogantly, gesturing to his fallen books on the floor. "Goodness, even your dumpy old mother could have picked them up by now."

That was the line for Ron. Harry could see his face skipping over the pink-tinged stage and moving right into an angry magenta. He lunged forward, clawing at Vladimir's robes and seemed to be making an effort to punch every single inch of him. Hermione and Ginny gasped as the first year was thrown to the floor in surprise, smacking the marble hard. Fortunately Harry pulled Ron off him after he had only given him a nose bleed and a bruised shoulder, though it was difficult with Ron thrashing about, flailing his fists.

"How... dare... he... I'll... get... him..." Ron gasped.

"So, your old friend was right. The little weasel is touchy about his mother," said Vladimir, wiping his nose with his hand and smirking.

Harry's mind kicked into overdrive. He remembered the first time he'd seen this kid, in the Great Hall, when he strutted over to the Slytherin table. And what he had said to Harry the first day of classes. And now everything he said sounded so familiar...

"How do you know Malfoy, Omega?" Harry demanded.

"Ah, I see Potter has finally put two and two together. Oh, Draco has long been a good friend to the family. He and his father used to come to our manor for business discussions. Now he is supposed to be in exile, but whenever he needs anything..." Vladimir stopped, seeming satisfied at the looks of outrage and disgust on Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's faces. "Well, I suppose you get the idea." He turned and looked at Blaise Zabini and his other seventh year Slytherin cronies. "I've had enough of these mudbloods and blood traitors. Let's get back to the common room before something... unwanted... rubs off." Vladimir headed toward the stairs, but stopped and turned suddenly as if he'd just thought of something. "Oh, and Potter? I'd watch my back if I were you."

He gave Harry a look that was so malevolent, it sent chills down Harry's spine. His friends must have noticed, because they instinctively moved in closer to Harry. Vladimir and his cronies smirked and with a swish of each of their cloaks, they walked down to the dungeons where the Slytherin common room lay.

"Ron," said Ginny cautiously, looking at her brother's face. "Ron, are you okay?"

Ron was seething and turning, if possible, an even deeper shade of purple as he watched the Slytherins disappear. He was almost to the point where he could rival Uncle Vernon, Harry noticed. Harry decided he'd better calm Ron down before he exploded, and stepped in front of Ron's line of vision so he could no longer stare at the dungeons' entrance.

"Ron, look," said Harry uneasily as Ron gave him a lethal glare. "Don't listen to him. He's just a stupid first year-"

"Harry!" said Hermione sternly. "Not all first years are like that! But he was simply awful, Ron. Harry's right that you shouldn't listen to them. They're just trying to get on your nerves."

"Well," said Ron through clenched teeth. "It worked. I'm so sick of those stupid Slytherins."

Ginny smiled. "We all are, Ron. But think about it this way. You only have to deal with them for another year..."

Ron suddenly brightened and his face went back to its usual pale pink.

"Yeah," he said, a smile spreading across his face as they walked up the marble staircase toward the Gryffindor common room. "One more year. Not even a whole year. More like two-thirds of a year. Or eleven-sixteenths..."

While Ron continued to spout out odd fractions, Harry leaned over to Hermione and spoke in an undertone.

"Have you done any research on Omega, yet?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, not yet Harry. But I'll get on it tomorrow, I promise."

Satisfied, Harry smiled and they continued up to the portrait hole.

Harry couldn't focus in Potions because his mind kept wandering to the threat Omega had given him. He mistook sheep's brain for mallard intestines and completely ruined his Hair Smoothing Potion. He was looking forward to using it, too. His hair still refused to lie flat.

Messing up his potion also bothered him because he had been doing so well in Potions this year. He still wasn't as good as Hermione, but he was easily second to the best in the class. He hadn't gone up to the Room of Requirement to get his old copy of Advanced Potion-Making, but he still remembered a lot of the helpful hints the Half-Blood Prince had given him. He still refused to call the Prince "Snape", though. That just put Harry in a fowl mood and he tended to break whatever he was holding.

As Harry was about to add a crushed shark tooth to his concoction, Hermione seized his hand.

"Harry, you're supposed to add ginger root next!"

Harry muttered his thanks and began to add ginger root. But he missed the cauldron and simply dropped it on the table behind it. Hermione and Ron raised their eyebrows.

"Why are you so distracted?" Ron asked, taking the knife out of Harry's hand when he nearly chopped off his own fingers.

"I can't stop thinking about Omega and Zabini," Harry replied angrily, trying to take his knife back from Ron.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," said Hermione reasonably. "I'll go to the library as soon as class lets out."

The bell soon rang and Hermione threw her bag over her shoulder and hurried out of the door. Harry and Ron barely glimpsed her barreling up the steps before she disappeared. They both shrugged and set a somewhat slower pace up to the Great Hall for lunch.

They didn't see Hermione at all at lunch or during their free period. She showed up just before the bell in Harry's Defense class and was the first out the door when it let out. They didn't see her at dinner, either. Ron and Harry stayed up late in the common room waiting for her to show up while they wrote their Transfiguration essays. Finally Ron threw down his quill with a worried look on his face.

"Where is she? It's not like Hermione to be gone this late."

"Relax," said Harry, putting down his own quill and rubbing his eyes. "She'll show up in a few minutes. Remember how she gets with S.P.E.W.?"

Ron gave a wry smile. "Yeah, she does get pretty crazy about that, huh?"

"For sure," said Harry, laughing. "Don't worry about it. She'll be back as soon as the library closes."

However, the library closed not long after and Hermione didn't show up even a few hours later. Harry and Ron were both exhausted, but Ron refused to go to bed.

"Come on, Ron. We have a Quidditch match tomorrow. You need to get some sleep," Harry consoled, picking up his Quidditch play book and putting into his bag with his Transfiguration essay.

"Where is she?" Ron asked fearfully. "The library closed hours ago!"

"Ron, she can handle herself! Come on, let's go to bed." Harry got up and moved over to the stairs, but stopped when he realized Ron wasn't following.

"Ron!"

"You go ahead," Ron said, yawning. "I'm going to wait up a little while longer."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Okay, fine. As long as your Keeping skills are just as good tomorrow as ever." He threw a pillow at Ron's head. "Get a little sleep at least, all right?"

He trudged up the stairs to the dormitory, where he pulled on his pajamas and crawled into bed. Extremely tired, he forgot to even take off his glasses, let alone empty his mind, and simply closed his eyes to immerse himself into a world of dreams.

The next morning Harry got up early, despite how tired he was, and threw on his clothes. He noticed that Ron's bed was empty and didn't look like it had been slept in. Picking up his Firebolt, he hurried down the stairs, ready to yell at Ron if he had stayed up all night.

When he reached the common room he smiled in spite of himself. Ron was sleeping on the sofa, head tipped back in what seemed to Harry to be an incredibly uncomfortable position. Hermione was beside him, curled up with her head in his lap. Harry found it a little odd at first to see them so close together. They hadn't really acted like a couple recently; they were too busy trying to help out Harry. He felt bad to have to disturb them, but it was really their fault for staying up so late.

"Er, Ron?" Harry asked, shaking Ron awake. "Come on, we have to get breakfast before going out to the Quidditch pitch."

"Whassamadder?" Ron asked, jerking awake and sitting up abruptly, causing Hermione to fall to the floor. Realizing what he had just done, he slipped down to the floor beside her, apologizing profusely.

"We have to get to breakfast," said Harry impatiently, looking at his watch, which he had gotten for his birthday. "The match starts in forty-five minutes! The rest of the team is already in the Great Hall!"

Ron paled slightly and then ran up the stairs to get changed.

Hermione laughed as she picked herself up off the floor.

"Quite a wakeup call, Harry."

"Sorry, but we really do have to hurry." Harry looked at her apologetically. "By the way, where were you all night? Ron was worried sick."

"Oh, I know," she said, blushing profusely. ""He told me."

Not really wanting to know exactly _how_ Ron had told Hermione, Harry repeated his question.

"So, where were you?"

"Oh," said Hermione. "I was in the library most of the time. When Madam Pince kicked me out I went to and empty classroom. Anyway, I found loads of stuff on Vladimir Omega."

She rushed over to the other side of the sofa and picked up her bag. She pulled out a piece of parchment that looked like it had been dipped in ink because of how much writing was on it. She quickly showed it to Harry.

"Look at this. This is why I was up so late last night." She pointed to the parchment. "Vladimir Omega's mother was none other than Anastasia Czech. She was a known Death Eater, pureblood fanatic, and Muggle terrorist. She made sure that the world would remember her name by magically forcing a government to name their country after her. She died in Azkaban not long after Voldemort's demise. Vladimir's been living with his father, Dieter Omega, a recluse who has had suspected dealings with the wizarding black market buying and selling dark objects."

Harry gaped at her. "How did you find all of this?" he asked in disbelief.

"Old _Daily Prophets._ These weren't written by Rita Skeeter, so I assume they're accurate," said Hermione, looking over all of the facts on the paper again before handing it to Harry. "Well, there you go. I'm going to go change. I'll see you guys at the Quidditch game. Good luck."

"thanks," Harry mumbled.

She walked up the girls' staircase and out of sight. Harry looked back down at the paper. It basically said everything Hermione had already told him, except it had more names and dates. She had also sited everything down to the column and paragraph the article was on. Not really sure how all of this information would help him except to distrust Omega even more, he folded up the parchment and put it in his robes pocket. Just then Ron came downstairs, hoping on one foot as he tried to put on his shoe. He made it all the way down to the last step, where he tripped on a loose corner of a rug and fell onto the floor. Harry couldn't stop himself; he laughed out loud.

"Oh, thank you very much," said Ron darkly, standing up and rubbing his back as Harry snickered. "Let's just go down to breakfast."

Smiling, Harry led the way through the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall. When they arrived, they looked up at the enchanted ceiling. It was extremely dark and cloudy and it looked like it was pouring out. Shaking his head at the poor weather conditions, Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table with Ron and the rest of the Quidditch team.

"It looks like we're going to have a tough time of it out there," said Dean, looking gloomily at his plate of uneaten scrambled eggs.

"Don't worry about it," said Harry. "We'll be fine. We have the best team of them all."

He smiled to try to raise Dean's spirits, but Dean was still staring at his plate. Harry looked around at his other team members. They all looked pale and were picking at their food, not eating any of it. Harry sighed. He was nervous himself, but his friends looked pretty depressed.

"Come on, you guys! You have to eat something!" he said, nudging Ron, who hadn't even bothered to put anything on his plate.

"It doesn't look like you've eaten anything yet," said Jimmy Peakes, one of the team's Beaters, looking at Harry's equally empty dish.

Harry sighed. "You have a point." He stood up. "Come on, there's no point in wasting our time here. Let's go down to the pitch."

Harry marched his team out of the Great Hall, through the great oak doors, and across the muddy grounds to the changing rooms with the wind and rain nearly knocking them off their feet. They changed quietly, not saying much as they donned their scarlet robes. Harry decided to spare them the pep talk, and to just remind them that if they just do their best they should be fine. Ron looked somewhat green, though Harry couldn't understand why. He was only nervous about Quidditch when the Slytherins were singing a particularly loud chorus of "Weasley is our king". But then Harry's heart sank as he heard the dreaded tune carrying to where they sat.

"Sounds like the rest of the school is taking their seats," Harry said grimly, listening to many feet pass by the changing rooms. "We'll do fine. Just put the Impervius Charm on your faces so you can see better, and the weather shouldn't be a problem."

However, just as Harry spoke the rain began to hammer down upon the roof of the building and Harry grimaced while water dripped from leaks in the ceiling. He imperviused his glasses and pushed his team through the door and out onto the pitch.

The crowd could barely be heard above the storm. There was a distant rumbling of thunder up in the mountains. Harry realized they had to get this game over with quickly if they didn't want to get electrocuted or sick. He rushed out to the middle of the pitch where Madam Hooch and the Hufflepuff Quidditch team were standing.

"It looks like the two captains are about to shake hands," said a dreamy voice from the stands. Harry couldn't help but smile to himself. Luna was commentating again. "Harry Potter, whose team put on a very nice performance last year, is matching the new  
Hufflepuff captain's team, Zacharias Smith's, who didn't really do very well last year, not to mention Smith was being particularly rude when he was commentating."

The Gryffindor team laughed as Harry shook Smith's hand. Smith appeared to be annoyed by Luna's comment and squeezed Harry's hand rather hard. Harry just smiled back and mounted his broom on Madam Hooch's command.

Madam Hooch's yellow eyes were bright and surprisingly visible through the rain. "On my whistle, then. Three... two... one!"

The short blast pierced the air and they were off. Ron and the Hufflepuff Keeper went scurrying down the pitch to the goal posts. The four balls flew into the air and Harry was disappointed to see Smith snatch the Quaffle and streak toward Ron's goal. But Harry didn't pay attention for long. He quickly shot up into the sky above the rest of the game to keep an eye on the snitch, closely followed by Hufflepuff's new seeker, Delilah Dayden.

"It looks like they're off," said Luna's magnified voice, sounding bored and just loud enough to hear above the wind and rain. "I think that the weather won't work out too well for this match. There is really quite a bit of rain. And look, there is a seven pointed star in the clouds. Oh, that can't be good for Hufflepuff. Everyone knows that the seven-pointed star means small animals like the badger will be attacked by Jokilus Vampires in the eighth day of the waning moon, which is today. Today also happens to be my great Uncle Erwin's fifty fourth birthday..."

Harry shook his head, grinning at Luna's wonderfully confusing commentary. But the smile quickly slid off his face when he heard Professor Flitwick, who was the Deputy Headmaster and therefore in charge of Quidditch games, grab the magical microphone and say, "Dear Miss Lovegood, you're forgetting to watch the game! That would be twenty to zero to Hufflepuff. Oh make that thirty to zero!"

_What! _Harry thought in desperation, whirling around. It was true. Ron hadn't locked the three shots that had been taken to his goal. And Dean, Demelza, and Ginny were having real trouble getting the Quaffle back. Demelza was nearly knocked off her broom when a Bludger hit her. Peakes and Coote seemed to have given up trying to protect them or hit the Bludgers at the opposing team, and were simply circling the pitch with their clubs across their laps.

_"What are you doing!" _Harry yelled to his team. But at that particular moment there was a loud thunderclap, so they didn't hear him. He tried to no avail to get his team's attention for several minutes, watching as Ginny dropped the Quaffle and Ron missed two more goals.

"Time out!" Harry called, signaling to Madam Hooch to stop the game for a moment. Madam Hooch nodded her head to him and blew her whistle. Everyone landed on the field, slipping and sliding on the slick grass. The Hufflepuffs looked excited, the Gryffindors miserable.  
"What is going on!" Harry shouted at his team. They barely heard him above the sound of the storm and the rain slapping against their faces, but they must have seen Harry's facial expression. He was livid.

"Ron, _why_ do you keep missing goals! You are better than this!"

"I-"

"And Ginny, why on earth did you drop the Quaffle! You know how to handle that ball no matter what the situation!"

"It was slippery-"

"And Demelza, you are the best at dodging Bludgers! Why didn't you see it coming?"

"The rain-"

"And as for you two," Harry yelled, rounding on Peakes and Coote. "What, are you just giving up? You weren't even trying to protect your teammates!"

Jimmy and Ritchie simply looked at him with sad eyes, apparently feeling like failures.

"You all need to get your heads in the game! You are the best team at this school. You can handle a little rain! Those Hufflepuffs don't stand a chance if you simply get your act together!"

They were all silent for a moment. Harry was breathing heavily. He had tried everything he could think of to boost their morale. He hoped they would believe him and start believing in themselves as well.

"I don't see you catching the snitch," said Dean after what seemed like a moment of hesitation. Just then, Madam Hooch's whistle blew.

"All right," she said. "Mount your brooms."

Harry turned to his team. "You worry about what you're supposed to be doing. I'll worry about the snitch." And with that, he kicked off the muddy ground and soared up into the air.

"Oh, it looks like the game is starting again," said Luna, sounding surprised. "Oh, and look. Gryffindor finally got the Quaffle."

Harry smiled to himself as he saw Demelza, Dean, and Ginny streak across the pitch. Demelza was in possession while she dodged a bludger and quickly passed to Dean, who faked a shot and passed to Ginny, who scored. Even through the thunder and rain, Harry heard the tremendous applause coming from the Gryffindor side of the stands. Hufflepuff gained possession, but quickly lost it when Ritchie Coote smacked a Bludger at the Chaser and the girl dropped it, leaving Dean to fly under and neatly catch it to score yet another goal for Gryffindor. The Hufflepuffs gained possession again and tried to make a goal, but Ron saved it easily, passing the Quaffle to Demelza.

Satisfied that his team was doing all right, Harry began to scan the field for the snitch. His first circle around the field brought nothing, but upon the second route, Harry saw a glimmer of gold in the stands out of the corner of his eye. No one seemed to have noticed it. He quickly leaned forward, urging his Firebolt on. But when he neared upon the object he realized that it was just a first year practicing the Levitating Charm on a gold badge. He stopped his broom quickly before he mowed the kid over, scaring a couple of third year Ravenclaws half to death in the process. Unfortunately, Delilah Dayden had been tailing Harry and hadn't realized that it wasn't the snitch. She crashed into the stands and quickly sat up. Holding her fist in the air triumphantly, she smiled at the spectators. Then she looked at her hand and realized what it was. Harry couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the girl's devastated face. But he stopped quickly when he saw a flicker of gold out on the opposite end of the pitch, fluttering around the foot of Ron's middle goal post. That was the snitch, Harry was sure of it.

He kept his eyes locked on that spot and waited for Madam Hooch to call time in. Hearing the quick blast of her whistle, Harry kicked back his legs and leaned forward, feeling the rain slapping his face and the wind trying to buffet him off course as he sped across the field. Everyone seemed shocked and no one spoke as he tore across the pitch. He could hear Dayden scrambling to catch up, but he was too far ahead and her comet two-sixty was no match for his Firebolt. He tilted his broom down with a soft touch and plunged to the muddy earth. He stretched out his hand and...

"YES!" Harry shouted, holding the fluttering golden ball in his fist and raising it into the air.

**A/N:** This was rather diffuicult to write, so I hope you enjoyed it! I tried my best. Even JKR said that writing Quidditch games were difficult. Anyway, please review!


	9. Magical Mistletoe

**A/N:** Again, orry it took me so long. But I think I can finally get on the internet regularly, so I can post more often. Sorry for the delay.

Chapter Nine  
Magic Mistletoe

The crowd was on their feet, cheering like mad. He couldn't dwell on that for too long, however, because the air was soon knocked out of him as the other six members of his team ambushed him in a group hug. He figured they were appreciative of ending a long match in the rain. They marched back into the changing rooms to get rid of their soaking Quidditch robes and talk about the great game.

"Come on," said Ritchie Coote rowdily. "Party up in the Gryffindor common room!"

The Gryffindor Quidditch team made their way up the hill to the castle, the weather seeming much brighter than it had a half hour before. They trudged out of the mud and into the entrance hall, Harry holding Ginny's hand as everyone laughed and exchanged play-by-plays of exactly what everyone did during the game.

"...So then I swerved out of the way of the speeding bludger and dove for the Quaffle, arms outstretched," said Ron excitedly, demonstrating by throwing his hands out as they all walked up the marble staircase. "I quite easily caught it; it was a rather weak throw on Smith's part..."

"Come on," Ginny whispered in Harry's ear, tugging on his arm. "I have an idea."

"Ginny, what-" Harry started, but the excited look on Ginny's face made Harry shut up. This was going to be interesting...

They easily lost their teammates as they slipped through a secret passage and ended up on the fourth floor. Ginny ushered Harry along the corridor and then reached for a door toward the end, pushing it open.

"Ginny, what about the party-"

He stopped and blinked in the darkness. "Where are we?"

Ginny flicked her wand and a few of the floating candles in the cozy room lit up instantly. Harry was impressed with her use of the non-verbal spell, but said nothing when he looked around and realized he had been in this room several times before.

The room was fairly small and empty, but comfortable. There was a large desk on the north wall and an oak cabinet opposite. There were several windows which were darkened by the heavy storm outside. The walls seemed fairly bare, but Harry could remember clearly when they were littered with portraits of wavy blond-haired men with sparkly teeth, or an occasion when they were covered in revolting doilies and plates with pouncing kittens. There, in the far corner, Harry could remember a large chest with seven locks. And on top of the cabinet, he could easily envision strange specimens in jars and cages. He could almost see hideous posters of strange magical injuries hanging on the door. Shaking his head from all of the bittersweet memories, Harry turned to Ginny.

"My office?" Harry asked as he turned to Ginny, realizing how odd those two words sounded coming from him. He hadn't been here since the end of last year, but this was supposed to be his office now. "You brought me to my office?"

Ginny smiled mischievously, pulling Harry close and kissing him gently on the lips.

"I brought you to your _private_ office, Professor Potter."

Harry stared at her for a moment while she smiled up at him. Then realization donned on him and he couldn't help but grin.

"Ah," he said playfully, putting his arms around her waist. "I like the way you think, Miss Weasley." He kissed her back, but this time it lasted a lot longer and became more passionate. Harry found himself pushing Ginny up against the wall and holding her tight as she ran her fingers through his already messy hair, sending chills down his spine...

Needless to say, Harry didn't think he would be missing much at the party upstairs.

The next few weeks crept by for the Hogwarts students. There was a huge workload for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the seventh years as they were preparing for their N.E.W.T.S., even though they weren't to come until late spring. The homework was tortuous and tedious, making most people stay up into the early hours of the morning in order to finish it. It was not as bad for the sixth years, but they still found themselves swimming in countless essays and charts, using up all of their free periods. To find a way to bare the situation, Harry's office had become a favorite spot for him and Ginny, and although they spent a great deal of time snogging, they spent loads of time talking about various things and laughing so hard their stomachs were sore days after.

Ron started to wonder and question about where Harry and Ginny would go all the time, but Hermione would always smile knowingly and change the subject. At first on these occasions Harry would give Ginny a curious look, wondering how much Hermione knew and feeling slightly uncomfortable, but Ginny would always smile and squeeze his hand before returning to whatever she was doing. Pretty soon Harry found he didn't really care anymore and simply wished longingly for the relaxing break of the holidays.

Finally the last week of term arrived, to everyone's relief. Professor McGonagall continued to push them in Transfiguration, making them turn themselves into Christmas trees in order to make things a bit more festive. In Charms Professor Flitwick yet again gave up on bothering to teach them anything new, seeing that all of the seventh years were very worn out, and decided to allow them to charm objects to sing Christmas carols so the students could talk and relax. Professor Slughorn was in a very jolly mood and decided to have them brew a little concoction that made perfect eggnog, which they got to drink at the end of their lesson. In Herbology they groomed giant poinsettias that would be placed in the Great Hall for the Christmas dinner. Harry didn't really know what to teach everybody with all of the festive activities, and so he decided to just turn everyone loose to play games and socialize, hoping that Professor McGonagall wouldn't walk in and see that he was not doing his job. To his dismay, however, she did just that on Thursday afternoon when he had his second year class.

The noise in the room was pretty loud, so Harry didn't hear the knock on the door. He was laughing as one of the students, KP Lang, tried to show her friends how to make her quill do back flips and it accidentally hit her in the eye. She didn't think it was very funny and was rather red with embarrassment. Harry was about to apologize for being so rude when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw McGonagall standing there with a straight face, giving Harry a cold stare.

"P-Professor McGonagall!" Harry said loudly, causing the class to immediately quiet. A stray paper airplane flew across the classroom and landed on McGonagall's shoulder. She picked it up and unfolded it, reading the note it contained aloud.

"_'Chadwick,'_" she intoned. "_'I don't feel like going up to the next class. Why don't we ditch History of Magic and go to the kitchens? I've been having too much fun in here to focus now. Signed, Timmy'_"

Harry bit his lip, waiting for the explosion. He was surely going to pay for shirking his responsibilities as a professor. There wasn't much she could do to him in this position, but since he was also a student, she could easily give him detention for the next three months. Although Harry could easily threaten to simply leave school as he had originally planned, he didn't know if he could follow through with it. He hadn't been this content in a long time.

"Well," said Professor McGonagall tightly, crumpling up the paper and making it disappear with a flick of her wand. "I think you have all had enough excitement for one day. Perhaps you should leave a few minutes early. The bell will ring soon."

Harry's class wasted no time gathering their book bags and shuffling out the door. A few kids whispered "Good luck!" to Harry with very worried looks on their faces. Soon the classroom was devoid of all students, leaving a very stern McGonagall and a very nervous Harry standing alone.

"Professor, let me explain. I-"

He stopped as she raised her hand, motioning for silence. He started to feel very uneasy, wondering what was in store for him now. He looked at her face, waiting for her to start scolding. But Harry did a double-take at her facial expression. Was that... a smile?

"Potter, you have no need to worry. I understand that it is difficulty to control a class around the holidays. It is perfectly understandable. However, I hope you are not encouraging your students to ignore their other classes."

"No, Professor! Of course not!" Harry said hurriedly, assuring her that he would never do such a thing.

McGonagall's smile broadened, surprising Harry even more. The holidays must have her in a good mood, he thought. And thank goodness for that.

"Good. Now then, Potter, I have something to give you." She reached into her robes pocket and produced a crisp white envelope. "This is for you."

Harry took the letter and opened it. Inside, it read:

_Dear Colleagues,  
This year we are pleased to award all of our staff with a proper Christmas bonus of one hundred and fifty galleons. We shall forward the money to your Gringotts account unless otherwise specified. Thank you for all of your hard work. Happy Holidays!  
-Minerva McGonagall  
Headmistress for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

Harry looked up at Professor McGonagall, thoroughly confused.

"A Christmas bonus? But Professor, I'm still a student, and I don't need any more-"

"It's quite all right, Mr. Potter. You've been working hard. ...For the most part."

Harry blushed as she gestured to the room, speaking of the incident of a moment before.

"You deserve the money. And though you are a student, you are a teacher as well. And you are perhaps teaching the most important subject at this time."

Harry didn't respond immediately, currently at a loss for words. He didn't want the money, but then again, he couldn't just reject it.

"I... er... thank you, Professor," Harry mumbled, looking back down at the letter.

"My pleasure, Mr. Potter. "

She shook his hand and left the classroom just as the bell rang.

When the Christmas holidays finally arrived, Harry couldn't be more relieved. He got onto the train with Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, and they whiled the ride away playing intense games of wizard chess and swapping wizard cards. Harry desperately wanted to grab Ginny and start snogging her, but he knew it made Ron uncomfortable. So whenever he would look away, Harry would steal a kiss from her and then quickly look back at the game. He earned himself a couple of dirty looks from his best mate, but Ron never said anything.

They said goodbye to Hermione at the platform. She was going to stay with her parents for a few days, but she was to meet them at the Burrow Christmas night. She soon disapparated and Harry and the two youngest Weasleys were left to do the same. They grabbed their things and Ginny grabbed Harry's arm. With a CRACK! they appeared at the Burrow and were greeted enthusiastically by Mrs. Weasley.

The days went by slowly and there was a very relaxed mood about them. Harry still had many worries on his mind, but he chose to push them aside and simply enjoy the holidays. He got to spend a lot of time with Ginny, going on long walks and talking about odd and random things through fits of laughter. He and Ron also played an awful lot of Quidditch. Ginny played too at first, but unlike the boys, she found it tiresome after a few hours and would decide to go inside for some hot cocoa. Harry and Ron wouldn't turn in until almost dark, insisting on getting as much practice as possible.

Soon Christmas was upon them. The air was filled with the aromas of Mrs. Weasley's baked goods, including homemade mince pies, gingerbread, and treacle tart. She had to magically lock the kitchen door so that the members of the household wouldn't snack on the treats and spoil their dinner, which was a special Christmas feast. The Twins, Charlie, Bill and Fleur, and even Tonks and Lupin, all showed up, carrying gifts for everyone and calling out cheery "Happy Christmas!" wishes to everyone.

Just before dinner, Hermione arrived (much to Ron's pleasure) and they all sat around the crowded table and served themselves to a delightful meal. Everyone showered Mrs. Weasley with compliments through stuffed cheeks, savoring the wonderful flavor of the rib roast and boiled potatoes. She even made a delicious pear salad, which consisted of pear halves topped cream cheese and delicious cherries. Everyone talked and laughed about old memories and by the time the meal was through and everyone was fed, Harry felt sure he would explode. Mr. Weasley suggested they all go outside to relax on the fresh air, and everyone obliged.

Mrs. Weasley magicked a few candles to give them light and Charlie conjured up several comfy couches so they could sit down. Soon everyone was seated, talking happily and allowing their eyelids to droop lazily as the long day began to take its toll. It was quite chilly out, so they clustered together. Harry was grateful for the excuse to be closer to Ginny. Even though everyone knew they were together, they still felt awkward in front of everyone. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley kept looking over at them and a huge grin would spread across their faces each time. Fred and George couldn't stop laughing at the thought ("They're so immature," Ginny would say with a grin). Harry expected to receive many glares from Ron throughout the evening, but he and Hermione seemed to have disappeared.

"Wonder where they got off to?" Harry asked Ginny after about an hour of their absence.

"I dunno, but I think we should take a leaf out of their book," said Ginny, glancing around. "Okay, they're not looking. Let's go!" She grabbed Harry's hand and they disappeared off into the wood just beyond the hedges lining the Weasley backyard.

They walked briskly into the trees, being sure not to go so far that they could not see the lights from the house, yet still far enough to have a bit of privacy. They stopped under a tree and Ginny leaned against him as they caught their breath. It was rather difficult to run through eight inches of snow. Soon they felt very chilled and Harry put his arms around her, rubbing her arms to keep her warm.

"Hmm…" Ginny murmured, letting her eyes drift shut.

Harry smiled. She was so beautiful when she was relaxed like this, her cheeks slightly reddened from the cold. Of course, Harry thought that she was beautiful no matter how she looked, but she looked particularly pretty tonight. He could just sit there and stare at her all night…

"Harry?" Ginny asked suddenly, opening her eyes. "I can't move."

"Oh, sorry."

He made to step away, thinking he was holding her too tightly, but his legs seemed frozen to the ground.

"Er… I can't move either," he said, a little confused.

"Right, you'll have to kiss me then," she said in a very business-like tone.

"Oh I _have _to, do I?" Harry asked, smiling a little.

"Yes, you have to if you want to move," she said in the same tone. "You see, we're standing under magical mistletoe." She finished as if that explained everything. Unfortunately, Harry had never heard of such a thing.

"Magical mistletoe?" he asked. He thought he had gotten past all of the new surprises of the wizarding world; he had been immersed in it for six and a half years already. But apparently he still didn't have the advantage that Ginny and Ron had, growing up in the atmosphere. "What is the difference?"

"Well, Mr. Potter," she said, now starting to mimic the type of tone Professor McGonagall might take. "Magical mistletoe has many different properties compared to that of Muggle mistletoe. For one, it has a slightly reddish tint, where as-"

"Just tell me why we can't move, please," said Harry, laughing a little.

Ginny smiled. "With magical mistletoe, you cannot move until you kiss the person that's under it with you."

"Hey, no complaints here," Harry said. He dipped his head down and kissed her gently. He pulled back and smiled. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

Ginny smiled. "Perhaps. That is only a matter of opinion. But one thing that is for sure is that I'm freezing. Let's go inside."

They headed back to the Burrow, slipping and falling into deep snowdrifts. They were soaked to the bone before they had gone ten yards. Just before they reached the hedge that marked the Weasley's official backyard, they ran into Ron and Hermione, snogging like their life depended on it.  
_  
"Hem hem,"_ Ginny said, sounding exactly like one of their old nightmarish Defense teachers, Dolores Umbridge.

Instantly Harry's two best friends broke apart, looking wildly around and preparing to flee. Harry and Ginny burst with laughter at the looks on their faces. Ron and Hermione blushed deeply, Ron's face nearly rivaling his hair color.

"We were… er…" Ron began.

"I-It was the mistletoe!" said Hermione quickly. "We couldn't move, and-"

"Oh please," said Ginny, rolling her eyes as she and Harry smirked. "You only need one kiss to break that charm. You two looked like you were afraid you'd never kiss again."

Ron and Hermione stamped their feet on the ground to warm themselves, still blushing furiously.

"We're sorry."

"Sorry?" Harry asked through raised eyebrows. "Why on earth are you sorry?"

"Well…" said Hermione, looking at her feet. "We didn't want to make you feel awkward, Harry. We've been trying not to be too… well… open."

Harry couldn't hardly stifle a laugh. "You guys, I _am_ seventeen. I think I can handle it."

"Yeah," said Ginny, "and if he does feel awkward, you shouldn't worry. I can distract him for you." She leaned up and kissed Harry, who smiled in return. He could see Ron scowl slightly through the corner of his eyes. Hermione, on the other hand, brightened considerably.

"You're… you're sure?" she asked hesitantly, trying hard and failing to mask her sheer joy.

Harry nodded, grinning in spite of himself. Hermione cried out "YES!" and flung herself on Ron. Though Harry said he didn't mind, he decided he'd rather not watch them snog, so he pulled Ginny close and they returned to the backyard to warm themselves up a bit.


	10. Dreams Become Reality

Chapter Ten

Dreams Become Reality

As the holidays progressed, the snow continued to fall. Every morning they woke up to a beautiful white blanket covering the ground. At first it was exciting, playing in it, sitting in it, snogging in it…. But soon enough the excitement began to wear off and they grew weary of the constant cold. Through the majority of their remaining vacation they sat inside playing wizard chess and sipping hot beverages. They began to feel caged in and longed to stretch their legs. Especially Harry, who had enough of that sort of imprisonment at the Dursley's. Finally, on the eve before their return to Hogwarts, they decided to go out again one last time to play a little friendly Quidditch.

Harry shouldered his Firebolt and rushed downstairs, eager to take a breath of freedom. He knew he was exaggerating his confinement, but it brought back too many repressed and unpleasant memories. Soon he was hurrying out the back door of the burrow with Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"All right," said Fred, who had taken the position of leader, being the oldest ("By five minutes!" George had protested.). "We'll break into teams. There will be three on each: one Seeker, one Chaser, and one Keeper. I'm afraid there aren't enough people to worry about bludgers. George and I will play opposing Chasers."

"Well then, what position am I supposed to fill?" Ginny asked angrily. She prided herself in her Chasing skills, as she had told Harry before.

"Seeker! What else?" Fred asked curiously, as though it was obvious. "You're the only one who stands a chance against Harry!"

Ginny looked shocked for a moment, but then she gave Harry a satisfied smirk. "You hear that, Harry? You've got competition!"

Harry just smiled and said, "I have no doubt about that. You are a pretty good flier."

He laughed at her confused expression. Clearly she was expecting a contradicting comment. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before mounting his broom. On Fred's command, he kicked off, his feet sinking into the soft snow. He raised into the air, though not higher than the tree line, lest they be spotted by the local Muggles. He could see his breath in the cold shivered slightly against the frosty air.

He was teamed up with George and Hermione. Although he was confident that George would do well as Chaser, having seen him fly for years and help other chasers practice. But Hermione was not a Quidditch player. Nor was she a flyer of any sort. She would try her best, but Harry knew she stood no chance against Fred's quick advance. He began to scan the trees for the snitch.

Ten minutes later and losing zero to six, he spotted it. To his horror he realized the snitch was circling around Ginny's dangling left leg as she sat in the air looking for it. Normally he would have leaned forward and shot for it, but knowing Ginny, he didn't have a chance. She would spot it soon. He had to do something. Keeping his eye on the snitch, he floated lazily over to Ginny.

"What are you doing?" she asked sharply as Harry pulled slowly up next to her.

"Hmm…" he said, wearing a pretend frown. "Love you too."

Ginny laughed and Harry grinned at her. "This seems like a very familiar conversation," she said. "But seriously, what are you doing?" She began to eye him suspiciously as he continued to grin.

"Oh, nothing. It was just getting a bit boring over there. But I daresay, that won't last for long."

He nodded his head toward something behind her and she turned her back on him to see what it was that he was looking at. Taking his chance, he plummeted downward. The snitch had moved down toward the ground and was fluttering just above the snow. He reached out his hand and snatched it out of the air, smiling triumphantly.

And that was how the rest of the day progressed. They played many different matches, often varying the rules to make it more interesting. They also rotated players, allowing Ginny and Hermione to Chase for a while. But soon the girls grew weary and decided to call it a day in the early afternoon. They boys, however, continued to play until they were completely soaked from the snowfall and were so stiff that they could no longer properly function. The sun was beginning to set as they shouldered their broomsticks and headed back toward the Burrow. They reached the back step and realized that with their dripping robes, Mrs. Weasley would never let him inside. Hastily, they began to dry themselves by hot steam issuing from their wands. They could do nothing for their shoes and lower legs, however, as they were enveloped in about a foot of snow. They began to file inside when suddenly Harry's scar exploded with pain and again he found that his eyes were observing a scene that was completely out of place from the world that was previously around him.

He was standing on a dark, dimly lit street. He could see someone running ahead of him, their footsteps clattering on the cobblestones. However, the figure stopped at the sound of a cold voice issuing from Harry's mouth.

"_Where are you going, Mr. Prang?"_ Harry said, walking slowly toward the motionless figure. Subconsciously, Harry recognized that name, "Prang". Where had he heard it before? But the same cold voice continued to speak through his mouth, interrupting his thoughts. _"I believe we had an arrangement, did we not?"_

The figure shuddered. In the darkness Harry could not see his face, but he could tell that the person was frightened beyond their wits.

"_However, you did not keep your end of the bargain. That was not a very wise thin to do, Mr. Prang."_

Harry felt his right arm raise, and felt the slick wood in his hand. _No!_ He thought with all his might. _Please, I don't want to watch another person die!_

However, his hand seemed to spite him as it raised the wand and pointed it directly at Mr. Prang's heart. Harry could do absolutely nothing to stop the horrible words escaping his mouth.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

A flash of green light pierced the dim street as the spell illuminated the figure's face just before the man crumpled to the ground, forever motionless. A high pitched cackle rang through the night, and then Harry shouted, _"Morsmordre!" _A sickly green skull shot into the sky, an ugly and slimy snake protruding from it's mouth, allowing all to see exactly where a man lay dead in the street.

And then, as suddenly as it had come, the scene before his eyes was gone, and he found himself laying face up in the snow outside the Burrow, gasping for breath and clutching his burning scar.

"Harry, mate, are you alright?" Ron asked, bending over him and looking paler than the snow below his feet.

Harry bit the inside of his cheek and nodded, his scar still searing. He was shaking uncontrollably, and he doubted that it was from the cold. He took Ron's proffered hand and got to his feet. He jumped when Fred spoke, forgetting that the twins were still there.

"_That_ was most definitely _not_ just a dream."

Harry looked at him fearfully, really not wanting to Fred about what he had just witnessed. He tried not to think of it as what he had just _done_.

"Er, I… I must have had too much of the cold. M-maybe we should go inside?" Harry said, almost pleadingly as he let out an accidental shudder.

Fred looked as if he was about to press more, but George shook his head. Harry though George might be just as curious, if not worried, about Harry's episode, but he decided to give Harry a break, for which Harry was extremely grateful.

The twins walked inside first, tactfully putting on excited faces and began to talk about the game as they saw Mrs. Weasley. Ron grabbed Harry's arm and guided him into the house, which Harry was also grateful for, since his scar was throbbing and making his vision blur slightly. They smiled wearily to Mrs. Weasley, and Harry assumed she thought they were tired from the game. They walked upstairs silently until they reached the top landing where Ron's room was perched.

"Hermione, what are you doing outside my room?" Ron demanded curiously, a little louder than Harry would have preferred. His head still hurt and he felt sensitive to loud noises.

Hermione looked up with wide, fearful eyes. "Oh, were you talking to me?

"Who else has the name 'Hermione'?" Ron replied exasperatedly. Harry winced at the noise.

"Oh, I was just… er… waiting for you!" she said suddenly. Harry gabbed his head, feeling sure it was about to fall off. Hermione must have noticed this, because she asked, "Are you all right, Harry?" She took a step closer to him. "You're all wet. Wait a minute, why are you wet? I watched all of you dry yourselves off from the window."

Harry didn't say anything, just stood clutching his head. He had no idea why the pain hadn't faded by now, as it usually did, but it was starting to make him feel sick. He vaguely wondered why Hermione had been watching them from the window as he winced again.

"He sort of… collapsed. And he fell into the snow. I think he had another, er, vision," said Ron, thankfully much quieter than he had been speaking before. He looked at Harry with worry etched in his face. "Come on, mate. Let's get you into my room so you can sit down."

They started toward the door, but Hermione blocked their way. "Erm… why don't we go down and get some tea first? That way you can warm up, and then we can come back up here and talk about it. How's that?"

Ron gave Hermione an exasperated look, and Harry shook his head slowly.

"No, I need to sit down. My head hurts."

Hermione looked like she was about to protest, but then she looked at Harry's pained face and moved aside. They walked into the room and Harry sat down with a sigh on his camp bed. He wanted to lay down and go to sleep, but he knew that he would dream about what he had just witnessed, and he found that to be less appealing then staying awake.

"Er, mate? Do… do you mind telling us what you saw?" Ron asked hesitantly while he and Hermione sat on Ron's bed.

Harry tried to remember all of it, and quickly told them all the details.

"…And then he hit the man, Mr. Prang, with Avada Kedavra, and I saw his face."

Hermione waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, she pressed. "And who was it?"

Harry looked down, saddened as the picture of the man's vacant eyes invaded his thoughts. "It was Ern. Ernie Prang, the Knight Bus driver."

Ron and Hermione looked startled beyond belief.

"Are… are you sure?" Hermione asked. She had taken the Knight Bus many times and had gotten to know Ernie fairly well.

Harry nodded, then regretted it instantly as his head continued to throb.

"But… why would Voldemort want to show you that?" Ron asked. "I mean, you're acquainted with Ernie, but it's not like you're particularly close to him."

Harry shook his head, completely bewildered. "All I know is that I'm sick of watching people die."

Hermione looked extremely saddened by this comment. Harry saw tears sparkle in her eyes as she went over to give him a hug. Even Ron came over and patted him on the back. Harry did not respond and he kept his face neutral, but he kept thinking how lucky he was to have Ron and Hermione as his best friends.

"Don't worry, mate. We'll get through this."

"Yes, Harry," Hermione said reassuringly. "We'll… we'll practice Occlumency some more. And we'll figure out why Voldemort keeps showing you these scenes-" She suddenly stopped and both Ron and Harry looked at her curiously. She looked back at them. "Never mind, I think I know why."

"Why?" Harry and Ron asked together.

"I… I think Voldemort is showing you people dying, Harry, to weaken you and make you want revenge," she said.

"Well, it's working," Harry said through clenched teeth as he felt another sharp pain in his scar.

"No, you can't let that vengeance catch up with you! He's trying to make you attack before you are ready!"

Harry suddenly felt angry as he turned to Hermione. "Are you saying that after all I've done, that I can't handle him?"

"No!" said Hermione, looking appalled. "You know I'd never say that. I'm just trying to tell you that now, more than ever, we need to put emphasis on finding and destroying those Horcruxes!" Suddenly, Hermione clapped her hand over her mouth, wide-eyed. "I mean, erm, maybe we should go somewhere else to talk about this."

"Hermione, what is wrong with you!" Harry shouted, ignoring his head's protests. "Why are you so hesitant to talk in here! This is the best place! We're on the top floor and no one's around!"

"Well, they just might hear us with you shouting like that," Hermione snapped.

"I'm trying to knock some sense into you!" Harry bellowed. "We need to discuss this now before another-"

Suddenly Harry's scar exploded with pain again and he fell to his knees while another scene unfolded before his eyes, though it did not completely cover his mind like the last one had.

He was standing in a forest. At his feet a man was whimpering, pleading for his life. Harry laughed cruelly.

"_You have served my purpose, Jenovan. I show no mercy to anyone. Not even you. Avada Kedavra!"_

The man at his feet was thrown backwards by a jet of green light and then lay still on the forest floor. Harry involuntarily muttered a quick incantation and the Dark Mark quickly shot into the air.

Harry's eyes came back to focus, and he found himself still on his knees in Ron's room, his hand on his forehead as he gasped for breath. Ron Hermione knelt on the floor next to him, pale and worried.

"Harry mate, did it happen again?" Ron asked.

Harry swallowed heavily and nodded very slightly. His scar was throbbing with a renewed fervor, so Harry pushed on it with both hands, trying to stop the pain. He was covered in sweat and was shaking again. Hermione gently pulled his hands away and felt his forehead.

"Oh Harry, you are really warm," she stated in a motherly fashion, pulling her hand away. "And your robes are still soaked. Why don't you get changed and try to get some sleep."

He nodded again and Ron helped him to his feet. Hermione left the room and Harry changed into his pajamas before falling into bed. But it didn't matter how exhausted he was. He kept tossing and turning, trying to get the horrible visions out of his head. Finally, after about two hours of this, he finally felt sleep creep up on him and he gratefully welcomed it.

There was light coming from a doorway up ahead. Harry moved toward it and opened the door. Inside was a woman, perhaps in her late sixties. She was reading a book and sitting in a rocking chair, her long gray hair falling past her shoulders. Harry stepped into the room. The woman looked up, smiling at first. But upon seeing Harry a look of terror came over her and she leapt out of the chair, screaming for help. But she could do nothing as Harry said the fateful words yet again.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Harry jerked awake, his eyes seeing nothing but blackness in the dark room. He groaned and realized that his scar was still stabbing pain into his forehead. He did not reach up and touch it, because he knew it would do nothing to stop the aching, which he now felt throughout his entire body. He found himself shaking again, and couldn't seem to relax at all. So he decided to simply stare up at the ceiling, realizing he would never go back to sleep now. One thing was for sure, he was in for a rough night.

"Harry, you look wretched"

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry mumbled as he blearily walked into the Weasleys' kitchen. He had gotten no more than an hour's sleep last night, because every time he closed his eyes he saw another scene of someone dying and his scar never stopped burning.

"Did you get _any_ sleep last night?" Ron asked quietly as Harry took a single piece of toast from the table and sat down next to Ginny.

"No," Harry replied miserably. "I was really tired, but those dreams just kept coming."

Ginny took his hand and squeezed it gently. Harry thought she might have asked what he was talking about, but he guessed that Hermione had told her about what had happened to him last night. He was glad she had, because he didn't feel like explaining it at the moment. Luckily Fred and George had left according to plan last night so they would not push him further.

"Well, unfortunately I see that dreams have become reality. Look at this, Harry."

Hermione spread out her copy of The Daily Prophet on the table and Harry bent over to read.

_** More Deaths In Our Midst**_

_Last night it is believed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself went amongst various wizarding communities and murdered many by his own wand. Among these victims were David Jenovan, a Ministry official, Kennylworthy Whisp, the famous writer, and Ernie Prang, the well-known Knight Bus driver. We believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has a motive and specific plan behind these attacks, but the exact reason is still unknown. For Obituaries, see A3._

Harry finished reading and sat up, feeling a horrible emptiness inside of him.

"It's my fault," he whispered. "He's killing them to get to me."

"No, Harry, this is not your fault!" Hermione protested. "You had nothing to do with it!"

"Yes I did," he said, dropping his uneaten piece of toast and putting his head in his hand that wasn't holding Ginny's. "If it wasn't for me, all of these people would be alive. I've brought this on everyone."

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all made an attempt to comfort him, but just then Mrs. Weasley walked into the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Just said good-bye to Arthur. Oh, good morning, Harry dear. You weren't at dinner last night. I hope you slept well."

Harry thought it might be rude to say, "No, I had a horrible night's sleep," to the matron of the household, and therefore settled on smiling politely. Mrs. Weasley wasn't fooled.

"Hmm, doesn't look like it. Perhaps some Pepper-up potion?" She flicked her wand and a goblet appeared in her hand. Harry took the goblet and was about to bring it to his mouth when yet again, his scar burned hot and the scene before his eyes changed. He tried with all his might to block it out of his mind, but he couldn't. For perhaps the fifteenth time in twenty-four hours, the curse spilled out of his mouth.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

And then he was back in the kitchen again. When his eyes focused he noticed that everyone was staring at him. The Pepper-up potion was spilled on the floor he was holding Ginny's hand so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. He quickly let go of her hand and flicked his wand to clean up the mess, biting his lip against the pain in his scar.

"Harry dear, are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her voice full of concern. "You just dropped the goblet. And you look awfully pale."

"I…" he stopped as he felt a stab of pain again. "I'm just tired, is all." He changed the subject. "Er… when are we going to King's Cross?" he asked.

"In a few minutes," said Mrs. Weasley. She turned to look at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who were the only people left in the room, as everyone else had left for work or to their separate homes. "All of you have your things packed, I assume." They all nodded. "Well, you'd best get your trunks downstairs."

The four of them walked up the stairs together. Ginny grabbed Harry's hand again.

"It happened again, didn't it? Right there at the table. Another vision."

Harry looked at his feet and nodded. He had to focus to keep his feet moving, lest he collapse from all the aches his body felt.

"W-who was it this time?" Ron asked hesitantly.

Harry sighed. "Austin Thelman."

Ron tripped over a stair and fell to the ground.

"You mean that… that prat that failed the Apparition Test?" he said as Hermione helped him to his feet.

Harry nodded solemnly. They stood in silence for a moment, all feeling absolutely horrible, but no one more than Harry. Finally deciding he couldn't take the silence anymore, he let go of Ginny's hand and walked the rest of the way up to Ron's room to get his trunk, all the while wincing at the incredible pain in his scar.


	11. On the Brink

**A/N:** Sorry it took me so blasted long. This was one of those connecting chapters that I wanted to get just right. Anyway, here it is! Please read and review! Cheers!

-Julia Holtemore

Chapter Eleven

On the Brink

"Harry, what are you doing up this early?"

Harry looked away from the window by his four poster and saw his friend yawning and standing next to him.

"Couldn't sleep," he mumbled and turned back to the window, watching the early morning sun light up the grounds.

"Is it your scar, again?" Ron asked quietly. Harry had decided not to tell anyone about his "visions", and his fiends had followed in suit. Only He, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny knew of them as yet.

Harry nodded in response and Ron decided to press further.

"But I thought those visions had... er, calmed down a bit," he whispered worriedly.

"They have," Harry said hoarsely. His voice was slowly giving out with his lack of sleep. "I only have one once a day or so." Yet his scar was still throbbing constantly even without so many visions, and it was now making his whole body ache from lack of sleep.

Ron looked at him sadly. "Mate, you need to get some sleep. You look like you haven't rested in years."

Harry shrugged. "It's only been five days. I've gone without sleep before."

"Yeah, but not with all of those pains you're dealing with. It's taking more energy out of you than you think."

Privately, Harry agreed. Though he no longer fell to the ground when these visions occurred, every one of them drained him of his already diminishing energy. Now he found it difficult to walk, because his legs would shake uncontrollably from fatigue. However, he didn't really know what to do about it.

"I'll manage," Harry mumbled as he slowly stood up and began to pull on his robes. "Want to go down to breakfast?"

Ron nodded and proceeded to get dressed. When they were ready, they walked down to the Great Hall. Harry had to grab at the wall in order to support himself against the strain of going down the stairs and he was grateful to sit down at the Gryffindor table to rest.

Ron began to dish up eggs and bacon onto their plates as Hermione and Ginny entered and sat down beside them. Harry mumbled a weak "Hello," and went back to picking at his food. He had barely eaten anything in the past few days; the twinges of pain in his scar tended to distract him from his appetite. Ginny frowned at him slightly, and then turned to Ron.

"So, you guys have the first two periods free, right?" she asked, taking a sip of some pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, then I have another free period and Harry teaches the fifth years. Isn't that right, Harry?"

But Harry wasn't listening, because at that moment the scene before his eyes changed again. He let it pass, because he had no other choice. When his vision cleared and he was yet again in the Great Hall, exhaustion swept over him, along with all of the pain in his scar. He dropped his fork with a clatter and put his head in his hands.

"Oh, Harry, it happened again, didn't it?" Hermione asked sympathetically.

Harry nodded slowly, closing his eyes. He was getting quite sick of people asking him that. Ginny must have noticed, because she didn't say anything, just rubbed his back comfortingly. They all just sat there silently for a few moments, until Dean and Seamus came in.

"'Lo everybody," said Dean cheerfully. But after a moment of silence his voice showed some concern. "Harry, are you alright?"

Harry swallowed heavily. "Yeah, I'm fine Dean," he said quietly, realizing his voice was just about to give out. Not really willing to talk about anything at the moment, he stood, swaying slightly. "Well, I'm going to go back upstairs. I need to do some... er... studying."

"We'll come, too" Hermione said, nudging Ron in the ribs. They both stood.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I have class," Ginny said regretfully. "I'll see you at lunch, I guess."

Harry nodded to show that it was all right. Then he, Ron, and Hermione made their way out of the Great Hall. They had just begun walking up the marble staircase when a familiar sneering voice called out to them.

"Hey, Potter, you feeling all right?"

Harry slowly turned and saw Vladimir Omega entering the entrance hall from the dungeons. He didn't even have the energy to talk to him and turned back around, Ron and Hermione encouraging him to just keep moving.

"I dunno, it seems like with all of those weird pains in your scar, you might be a little too weak to handle it," Omega called.

Harry stopped suddenly in mid-step, completely thrown off by what he ha just heard. Omega laughed mockingly.

"Ah, I see I've said something familiar. Oh well, I suppose I'd better go get some breakfast before Potter starts crying about his dead family."

"Stuff it, Omega!" Ron called, pushing Harry up the stairs.

"Watch it, Weasley," said Omega menacingly, "or you might be the person Potter sees next!"

Harry turned in time to see Omega turn up his nose and join his Slytherin friends to enter the Great Hall. Ron was looking after him, a bit paler, but more determined.

"Come on, mate," he said continuing the way they had originally been heading. "You don't need to listen to that Slytherin scum. Let's get up to the common room."

He and Hermione urged Harry up the stairs, telling him to just relax, and that they'll figure something out. Harry didn't know how Omega knew about his dreams, but he wanted to find out.

"Look, you guys," he said hoarsely to his friends as they climbed through the portrait hole. "I appreciate the support, but in case you couldn't tell, I just want to find out how Omega knows about my visions."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then back at Harry. "Of course," Hermione said. "We'll figure this out, Harry. We promise."

Harry sighed gratefully and sank shakily into his favorite armchair by the fire. "Thank you," he whispered.

Ron and Hermione sat down next to him as he gazed into the fire. They were all quiet for several long minutes when Ron finally spoke.

"Look, Harry. You need to sleep. I know you say you can't, but maybe you should try going to the hospital wing. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey can give you something-"

"No," Harry said, shaking his head, making his headache increase in pressure. "She couldn't possibly have anything. I can't sleep because of my scar, and no one else has a scar like mine, so she can't possibly have something to help." Ron and Hermione looked like they were about to protest, but he continued. "Besides, I don't have time to deal with it. I have to teach at eleven fifteen."

Hermione suddenly jumped up. "That's right, I have Arithmancy soon!" She picked up her bag and walked toward the portrait hole. "Oh, erm, Ron? Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure," Ron said. He stood and walked across the room. They began conversing in fierce whispers. Harry found he didn't really care, though, and pulled out a defense book from his bag, clutching his head and willing the pounding within to go away.

"Right, well, I should see you at lunch," Hermione said, a little louder than usual. She gave Ron a quick kiss and hurried out of the common room.

Harry found himself staring at a page on puffskeins and not seeing anything. The aches in his body threatened to consume him as Ron sat down next to him. He realized that his eyes were no longer focusing properly. He took of his glasses and rubbed them a bit on his shirt, then pushed them back on his nose. No change. He couldn't even read now, he was so sleep deprived. He snapped the book shut and recommenced staring into the fire.

"So, er... Harry? Do you remember where you put that two way mirror, by any chance?" Ron asked casually.

Harry blinked, trying to clear the heavy fog in his mind and remember where he had put the thing. "Er... in the bottom of my trunk, I suppose. Why?"

"Oh, I, er..." Ron shifted awkwardly in his seat. "I was just wondering, that's all." He looked away and began fiddling with the upholstery on his chair. Harry shrugged, too tired to even attempt at figuring out why Ron was acting so oddly.

Ron pulled his book bag around, withdrawing his inkwell and quill. "Reckon we ought to get started on our Potions essays, don't you?"

Harry nodded blearily and extracted his things while Ron set to work on his assignment. They sat there for several moments, and then Ron spoke up. "Bother. I think I misspelled _tarantula venom. _Where's Hermione when you need her?"

Harry shrugged and Ron frowned at his essay. Then Ron suddenly snapped his fingers and stood.

"I think I still have a spell-checking quill under my bed! I'll be right back." He dashed up the stairs three at a time. Harry watched him disappear and then turned back to his essay. So far he had written his name and the title of the assignment. Realizing he was never going to get anywhere, he wrinkled up the parchment and threw it in the fire. Then he capped his inkwell and deposited it with his quill into his bag just as Ron returned downstairs.

"Sorry it took me so long. It was really far under there-" He stopped and looked at Harry's cleared spot on the table. "Given up, have you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, standing up. "I can't really see very well at the moment. I think I'm just going to go down to class a bit early."

He walked across the room and crashed into three chairs and a table along the way.

"Er, mate? Why don't I walk with you? You know, to make sure you don't hurt yourself." Ron stood walked over to the portrait hole, pushing it open. They both climbed out and began to walk down the seventh floor corridor.

Suddenly Harry's scar seared with pain again, much more than he had been experiencing recently. The scene changed before his eyes again and he found himself standing inside a small room before a woman and small child.

"_Please! Please don't hurt my baby! Kill me instead! Please!"_

A high, snakelike cackle pierced the air._ "No, no. We don't want any more of that old magic. Stand aside. Crucio!" _

The woman screamed in agony, writhing on the ground. Then Harry lifted his wand and turned it on the small child crying quietly in the corner. _"Avada Kedavra!"_

And then Harry was standing back on the seventh floor corridor with Ron again, trembling from head to foot, vaguely aware that the only reason he was still standing was because Ron was holding him up.

"Harry, are you all right?" came Ron's voice, echoing oddly. "Did it happen again?"

But even if Harry had wanted to answer, he couldn't, because his vision blurred yet again, and to his despair he realized he was back in the same room he'd been in only moments before. The woman was wailing on the ground, wracked with pain and anguish over her dead child.

"_Now, I shall take you up on that offer and kill you as well. Since you asked so nicely."_

Harry whipped his wand around and pointed it directly at the woman's heart. _"Avada Kedavra!"_

And then it was over. However, this time Harry's vision didn't clear. Devastation and exhaustion overcame him, more than he could bear, to the point where he no longer felt the pain in his scar. He felt blackness wash over him and he slipped into a cold abyss.

Harry was afraid to open his eyes at first, feeling terribly confused and tired. All he could recall were the horrible visions he had witnessed before he'd blacked out. He realized he was lying in a soft bed and could only conclude where he was. He could hear voices muttering somewhere nearby.

"Now Mr. Weasley, will you please tell me what happened again?"

"I told you. He kept having these pains in his scar. He hadn't gotten any sleep for about five days because of it. Finally, when I was trying to get him here, actually, he just... collapsed."

"Five days? He hadn't slept in five days? Along with the pain in his scar? Goodness, I'm amazed he lasted that long."

Harry opened his eyes to the dimly lit room of the Hospital Wing. He noted that it was evening. Last he remembered, it had been late morning.

Realizing he didn't have his glasses, he retrieved them from the bedside table and pushed them on his nose. Sitting nearby, dozing lightly, were Hermione and Ginny. Harry looked over a few feet away and saw Professor McGonagall, Tonks, and Lupin, all speaking to Ron, who looked a little flustered.

"Yeah, well, as you can see, he couldn't handle it like he thought he could." Ron gestured over to where Harry lay and realized that he was conscious.

"Hey, mate!" he said, sounding surprised. "You're awake!"

He rushed over to Harry's bedside, McGonagall, Tonks, and Lupin all in his wake. Hermione and Ginny stirred and upon seeing Harry aroused, went over beside him. Harry sat up a little and smiled weakly.

"Wotcher, Harry," said Tonks, winking behind her long violet hair.

"How're you feeling?" Ginny asked, looking at him worriedly.

"I'm better, I guess," he said quietly. He realized that his voice still wasn't completely back to normal. He turned to Ron. "What happened?"

"You passed out a few hours ago, " Ron said grimly. "It's a good thing we were already on our way over here, or-"

"Wait," Harry interrupted, confused. "I thought we were on our way to Defense."

Ron and Hermione exchanged uncomfortable looks.

"Well, Harry," said Hermione. "We knew you were on the brink, so I told Ron to try to get you to the hospital wing."

Ron nodded in agreement, looking apologetic. "Sorry mate, but I knew you wouldn't come on your own. I had to lie to you to get you anywhere near here."

"But then... what happened to my Defense class?" Harry asked. He was finding it difficult to soak all of this in. He really hadn't gotten very much rest and only wanted to sink back into the comfort of his bed.

"I took over for a little while," said Lupin, smiling slightly.

"But, how did you-"

"Ron contacted me using your two-way mirror," Lupin said, knowing what Harry was trying to say. "Of course, that was before you passed out."

Harry didn't know what to say. His friends had gone behind his back again. He felt betrayed. But he was still extremely tired and decided he didn't want to deal with an argument. "Thanks," he said to both Lupin and Ron. They both smiled, letting him know they were happy to help.

"However, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, "you yet again acted irresponsibly. If you had just gone to see Madam Pomfrey in the first place-"

"Forgive me, Professor, but Harry did have a valid reason for not coming here," Ginny interrupted. "I mean, how would Madam Pomfrey be able to stop the pain in his scar? He is the only one who's survived to killing curse, so how could Madam Pomfrey have a cure?"

Harry felt immense gratitude toward Ginny and couldn't help smiling at her forwardness.

"Well," said McGonagall, a little taken aback, "all the same, it wouldn't have hurt to come here. I know for sure that she could at least have given him a sleeping potion so he could get some rest. This, by the way, is what Potter should be getting right now." Turning around, she went over to Madam Pomfrey's office and spoke with her for a moment before returning with the nurse.

"All right," said Madam Pomfrey. "Potter needs some rest. So if you will all please leave, I need to give him some potion for a dreamless sleep..."

Lupin, Tonks, and McGonagall all cleared out immediately. However, with much debating, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were all permitted to stay. Harry was grateful for the company, but wasn't allowed the opportunity to speak to them as Madam Pomfrey practically forced the potion down his throat before he could protest. Within seconds he felt waves of comforting rest wash over him and he fell asleep before his head even hit the pillow.


	12. The Orphanage

**A/N:** Sorry this took me so long everyone! Thanks for being so patient!

Chapter Twelve

The Orphanage

Harry woke up early the next morning, much to Madam Pomfrey's surprise and dismay.

"Potter, you should be sleeping," she said sternly as she checked up on him.

"I've been sleeping for almost twenty hours now! Can I please leave?" Harry asked impatiently. He was getting quite sick of people fondling over him, as well as being in bed.

Madam Pomfrey glared at him. "Absolutely not." She would have stopped there, but when she saw Harry glaring right back at her, she continued. "I'm sorry, Potter, but collapsing in a corridor leaves me well within my rights to keep you until this evening. Which is exactly what I am going to do." She stood up straight and conjured up a tray of breakfast. "Eat up, and perhaps I'll make it this afternoon."

Harry grumbled under his breath and ate his breakfast. But after he was finished he had absolutely nothing to do. He sat there staring at the walls for what seemed like ages. He kept wishing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were there, but they all had classes at that time. Madam Pomfrey would make her rounds occasionally (though her only patient was Harry), and kept urging him to rest.

"I am resting!" he protested with his arms crossed. "I'm lying in bed, doing absolutely nothing. If that's not rest, I don't know what is."

Madam Pomfrey just sighed and shook her head, then went back to her office to brew a potion that she had been working on since early morning. She didn't tell Harry what it was, but it made him feel light headed and drowsy. He refused to sleep, however, taking this as some sort of challenge: him against this strange substance. However, after a few moments of this, he realized he was fighting a losing battle. He felt his vision slowly begin to fuzz around the edges and he decided that before he surrendered, he wanted to know the enemy.

"Madam Pomfrey?"

The nurse turned from crushing some ingredients on the tabletop to give Harry a stern look.

"You should be sleeping," she said, shaking her head impatiently. Then she looked at Harry a little more closely. Perhaps she noticed that his eyelids were beginning to droop, or that his breathing was becoming more slow and relaxed, because she began to laugh.

"Well, it looks like you are going to be asleep in a moment," she chuckled.

Harry nodded mutely, fighting against his heavy eyelids. _One more minute, then I'll go back to sleep,_ he told himself.

"What... what're you... making...?" he asked, his words slurring slightly.

Madam Pomfrey laughed even louder.

"Always the same, aren't you? Fighting against what's good for you." But then she returned to her normal composure and replaced her stern look. "I'm making a large batch of sleeping draught for dreamless sleep. It's so you can get more rest at nights without those odd scar pains. I'll be giving you some to take up to your dormitory..."

But Harry didn't hear what she said after that. The airborne potion had taken its toll. As soon as he found out what she was making, his eyes drifted shut and he was immediately asleep. He remained like that until a few minutes before Ron came to pick him up, which was many hours later, after the sun had gone down.

"Hey, mate!" Ron said happily, clapping Harry on the back and looking relieved as they walked out of the hospital wing. "Nice to have you back."

Harry just smiled and vaguely noticed Ron frown at his reaction before allowing his mind to wander. He felt a little out of it. Being asleep for so long had left him a bit groggy. He was trying to figure out why Ron had to come and fetch him. He was perfectly capable of walking up to Gryffindor Tower on his own. Why did people always feel the need to babysit him?

_Well, after all the stunts you've pulled, you shouldn't be that surprised,_ a little voice in his head whispered, sounding annoyingly like Hermione. _Ron just cares about you and wants to make sure you're all right. After all, the last time you walked down this hallway with him, you collapsed on the floor. _

_Yes, well, I suppose that's true..._ he thought fairly. _But still, it's not like that was my fault..._

His thoughts were interrupted as he and Ron entered the portrait hole and he was instantly greeted by all of the Gryffindors.

"Harry!"

"You're awake!"

"Why weren't you at classes? We were really worried."

"How're you feeling?"

"What happened?"

Harry sighed as several Gryffindors eagerly surrounded him, waiting for an answer.

"I'm fine. Really. But I don't feel up to questions right now. Sorry, but I'll talk to you all tomorrow."

He waved to them and started walking over to where Hermione sat in the corner when he suddenly found himself in a bone crushing embrace. He gasped and his attacker loosened their grip. He looked down to see Ginny smiling up at him.

"I'm glad you're better," she said. But suddenly her countenance changed and she promptly punched him in the arm.

"Ouch! Ginny, what was that for?" Harry asked, wincing as he rubbed his arm.

"That was for worrying me sick," she said sternly, taking a deep breath. Harry prepared himself for her rant.

"Why did you do that to me! I mean, I knew you weren't feeling your best, but you went and landed yourself in the hospital wing! I know you like to keep to yourself, Harry, but you have to stop doing this to me! I don't know if I can take it-"

She instantly silenced as he pushed his lips against hers and pulled her close. She stiffened at first, but then he felt her smile as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. They lost all track of time, and only broke away when Ron cleared his throat.

"Erm... do you two mind waiting until later to do that? Hermione and I need to talk to Harry, and we can't do that while you're both so... preoccupied."

Harry and Ginny rolled their eyes at Ron's immaturity. Ron just fidgeted awkwardly for a few moments, and then walked over to where Hermione was sitting, waiting for Harry to join him. Harry nodded, and then pulled Ginny into a quick hug.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," he whispered in her ear. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek to show her forgiveness, even though they both knew she was never actually angry, and then they parted. Ginny went up the girls' staircase and Harry went into the corner to sit with Ron and Hermione.

"Oh Harry, I'm so glad you're feeling better!" said Hermione, throwing her arms around Harry in a quick hug. Then she pushed him into a chair across from her and Ron. Harry nodded and turned to look around the common room, where people were busying themselves with homework and chatting about what they were going to do this weekend.

"Er, mate?" said Ron quietly, with a nervous tone. Harry didn't turn to look at him, but he continued anyway. "What... what happened in that last vision you had?"

Harry felt like he'd been doused in a bucket of ice water at the thought of what he had last seen before falling unconscious. He could clearly see the woman pleading for her child's life as the child wailed in the corner. Then there was a flash of green light-

"Mate, did you hear me?" Ron asked, and out of the corner of Harry's eyes, he saw Ron lean forward and speak a little louder. "What happened-"

"It was nothing," Harry interrupted quickly, unwilling to have those horrible memories flood him again.

Harry turned to face them and saw both Ron and Hermione giving him incredulous looks.

"I saw your face during that vision," Ron said grimly. "You were horrified."

Harry wasn't surprised. He _was_ horrified. But he didn't say that. Instead, he shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Hermione looked suddenly offended. "Harry, we're your best friends. You used to tell us everything!" she sniffed. Harry couldn't help it. He felt his temper rising to dangerous levels.

"I _still_ tell you everything!" he shouted, standing up. Several people in the room turned to look at him, curious to see what he was on about. He flicked his wand angrily and muttered, _"Muffliato,"_ before continuing.

"I can't believe you said that, Hermione," Harry hissed. "I told you about the prophecy... and the horcruxes... You're the ones who constantly go behind my back!"

Hermione ignored that last remark, but stood up as well. "If you tell us everything, why won't you tell us what's going on?" she asked, sounding both hurt and angry.

"Fine! Do you want me to tell you everything I've never told you before?" he asked menacingly, amazed that he was controlling his temper enough to not shout. But he really didn't want anyone else to hear what he was about to say.

"I never told you that the Sorting Hat originally wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I specifically told it not to. And the reason Snape stopped giving me Occlumency lessons in fifth year was because he caught me in his Pensieve, watching a memory of my dad humiliating him. And in my vision yesterday I watched a mother and child die in the same way that Voldemort attacked my family when I was a baby."

He stood there, breathing heavily, feeling his anger course through his body. Ron and Hermione were staring at him, mouths open in shock.

"Now," he said, a little more calmly, but still with a cold tone. "Is there anything else you want to bother me about?"

They said nothing, just continued to stare at him.

"Good." He turned and walked past them toward the boys' dormitories. He had just placed his foot on the first step when he heard a tentative, "H-Harry?"

He whirled around. "What, Hermione?" he snapped.

"Well, it's just that... erm..." Hermione turned to Ron helplessly, not able to find words.

"We're sorry, mate," said Ron, giving Hermione a stern look. Harry found the way they were acting to be a bit odd. Normally Hermione would give a look like that...

"Yes, we're sorry, Harry," Hermione said sincerely. "But we really shouldn't be keeping things from each other."

Harry snorted derisively. "Look who's talking."

To Harry's surprise, she did not snap back, but sighed guiltily. "Yes, you're right. We haven't been honest with you." She paused and glanced at Ron before continuing. "Which is why we have something to tell you right now."

"What?" Harry asked impatiently.

She took a deep breath. "We've been researching the Horcruxes."

Harry blinked. "So?"

"So... well, we've found one," she said, looking at him uneasily.

Harry was shocked. For a moment he couldn't say anything. He was glad they'd found one, yet annoyed that they hadn't included him in the search. He was the one who was supposed to destroy them. Finally he asked, "How?"

"We've been researching Hufflepuff's cup quite steadily," Hermione said, sounding relieved that Harry wasn't shouting again. She began to talk very quickly, and Harry struggled to keep up.

"We also tried to think about all the places you had seen in the Pensieve. Since there was already a Horcrux in the cave, and one in the house of Gaunt, that really only left two places. Hogwarts... and the orphanage where Voldemort grew up. We figured we would worry about the castle later, since it's so huge, and went to look in the orphanage while you were unconscious last night-"

"What?" Harry asked loudly. So they waited until they knew he wouldn't be able to come, and _then _they left? And why were they telling him this? Did they destroy it or not? He felt his face turning red with anger and took a deep breath to start bellowing reprimands, but Hermione stopped him.

"No, Harry, listen. We went to his old room, the one you described from the Pensieve, where Dumbledore told Voldemort that he was a wizard. Well, the wardrobe is in there, and it _won't open!" _

She said this last bit like it was the most amazing thing in the world. Harry could help it; he really wasn't following.

"So?"

"So, Harry," Hermione went on impatiently. "If it won't open, that means it has something of value inside. I threw loads of spells at it. It's magically locked and it has the strongest imperturbable charm on it that I've ever seen. Anyway, we inspected it and Ron found a little tiny carving in the bottom left-hand corner of the door."

"Well, what was it?" Harry asked impatiently, sick of her taking ages.

"It was a carving of a snake, mate," Ron said. "Just like the one on the faucet in Myrtle's bathroom that opens the Chamber of Secrets."

They were all quiet for a moment. Now Harry understood. They couldn't open the door because it had to be opened using Parseltongue. And the only two Parselmouths Harry knew of were Voldemort... and himself.

Harry sighed and sank into the chair that he had vacated a few moments before.

"All right. When do we leave?"

888888888888888888888888888888

"This place is creepy," said Ron with fear in his voice, leading the way down a dark corridor.

"You're only saying that because it's coated in spiders," said Hermione impatiently, rolling her eyes.

"That's a legitimate reason!" Ron retorted, turning to face her, red in the face.

"Here we are," Harry said loudly, sick of them arguing. He pushed open a door on his right to reveal a rather empty room except for an extremely old wardrobe, a rusty iron bedstead, and perhaps a few more spiders.

"How did you know this was the place?" Ron asked, looking at him curiously.

"I've been here before," Harry replied while stepping into the room. He noted Ron's surprised look and added, "In the Pensieve."

Ron's eyes widened in comprehension as he and Hermione followed. "Oh."

Harry walked around the room. It was eerily similar to when he had visited it with Dumbledore, even though the memory had taken place over fifty years before. The floor and walls were still bare, and on the bed still rested that same old gray blanket, though now it was heavily moth-eaten. Dust caked everything, muffling all sound disturbingly. Harry felt strange being in here. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach – almost as if he would be sick – when he realized that the most evil man on earth grew up in this room.

"Harry, look over here," Hermione said softly. For some reason they all felt the need to speak quietly while in the room, as if someone was listening in.

Harry walked over to where she and Ron were standing beside the wardrobe. It was just a simple closet, white washed long ago and now fading. It looked fairly beaten up, perhaps because it had been in the possession of so many children over the years. There were countless dents and scratches, and the finish was chipping away. There looked to be absolutely nothing special about this wardrobe.

"The engraving is right here," Hermione explained quietly, pointing to the lower left-hand corner of the wardrobe door. Harry knelt down to examine the carving. It was perhaps an inch squared, at most. The picture was of a tiny snake, its forked tongue flicking outward as it coiled on top of itself, preparing to strike.

"Well, go on then," said Ron impatiently. "Say something in Parseltongue."

"Just give me a minute," Harry whispered. "I haven't done this in years."

He stared at the engraving intently, forcing himself to imagine that the snake was real. He imagined it nodding it's head up and down slowly as a warning to trespassers and he finally spoke.

"Er... open please?"

A strange hiss poured from his mouth, and he knew that he had succeeded in speaking the language properly. However, the door didn't open. Ron jiggled the handle, but to no avail.

"Perhaps you have to say something specific," said Hermione. "Like a password or something."

Harry sighed angrily. "Why would he bother with that? He used to think he was the only one who could talk to snakes - only Slytherin's heir was supposed to be able to. What a waste of time."

"Well, I think Voldemort wanted as much protection over a piece of his soul as possible," Hermione explained.

Harry continued to grumble as he stared at the picture again. As soon as he'd convinced himself that it was real, he began to say as many things as he could that Voldemort might have as a password.

"Er... open sesame? Move? Erm, Slytherin... Marvolo... Gaunt... Tom Riddle... I am Lord Voldemort-"

Suddenly, the door to the wardrobe opened, banging Harry in the head rather hard. Massaging his bump darkly, he stood and pulled open the door. There was absolutely nothing there. It was as if there was some sort of black hole in the closet. Harry could not see the other side, or anything for that matter. It was a doorway to all-encompassing darkness.

"Can you see anything?" Hermione asked, peering inside.

"No... Hang on a second." Harry quickly lit his wand and held it out toward the open door. As soon as his wand crossed the threshold, the light extinguished. Harry tried to relight it several times, but it didn't work. Sighing, Harry gave up and recommenced staring at the doorway blankly.

"Er... what now?" Ron asked, peering through the threshold.

Harry sighed. Why did everything always have to be so complicated. "I guess I'll just have to go in."

He took a step toward the door and instantly felt four arms grab him and pull him back.

"_No,_ Harry!" Hermione exclaimed fearfully. "You can't just walk in there! You have no idea what will happen!"

"Yeah, mate," said Ron nervously. "Can't you just... just summon it or something?"

Harry sighed, remembering when he had asked Dumbledore that same question the night he died. Shaking off the automatic depression that tended to overwhelm him at the thought of his old headmaster, Harry turned to Ron.

"Go ahead and give it a try. It won't work."

Ron looked a little annoyed that Harry assumed he was wrong, and therefore appeared to focus much harder than he normally would have. Shutting his eyes tightly, Ron pointed his wand into the wardrobe and shouted, _"Accio Horcrux!"_

Harry tapped his foot impatiently on the ground. He didn't have time for this. If he was going to fulfill the prophecy and destroy Voldemort, (_Or be destroyed,_ he told himself bitterly) then they needed to take everything seriously and get something done. While he was thinking this, however, he was surprised to hear a cry of satisfaction.

"See! It helped a bit!" said Ron happily, pointing inside the wardrobe. Harry shook himself out of his thoughts and peered inside.

Sure enough, it had made a difference. It was no longer pitch black inside. He could make out some sort of object toward the back that was fairly large and dim yellow in color.

"It's Hufflepuff's cup!" Harry said excitedly.

"Yes, but how do we get to it?" Hermione asked curiously.

Without bothering to tell Ron and Hermione this time, Harry stepped forward into the closet.

It was strangely chilly inside, as if he was deep underground. The darkness seemed to engulf him, to the point that he felt claustrophobic. He found this to be an odd sensation, considering he'd lived in a cupboard under the Dursleys' stairs for ten years of his life. He shook off the feeling and continued blindly forward. The cup didn't seem to be getting any closer. In fact, the further he moved toward it, the farther away it seemed. He could hear his friends calling out to him, but strangely, they sounded muffled and far away, even though he had only taken one or two steps in. He turned around out of sheer curiosity and saw that Ron and Hermione appeared to be about a mile away, barely visible through a small chink of light that Harry assumed to be the doorway. Fighting down the sheer terror that he may not be able to get back out, Harry continued forward.

Suddenly, he took a step and his foot did not hit a solid surface – or anything for that matter. He found himself falling through a never-ending abyss of blackness. He tried to cry out, but it seemed that no sound existed in this strange atmosphere. His stomach was up in his throat, as if trying to escape and jump onto the ledge he had previously been standing on. Harry shut his eyes tightly, waiting for his impending doom.

However, he never hit the bottom of the pit (if there was one). He felt a strong hand grab his wrist and looked up to see Ron trying to pull him up, standing just inside the wardrobe.

_How on earth?_ he thought to himself. He didn't understand how Ron could have caught him, since he'd been falling for more than a minute.

Gasping for breath, Harry grabbed onto the bottom ledge and tried to pull himself up. But for some reason, he decided to turn around and look at the cup from his new position as he fought for a foot hold. Twisting around, he saw the cup. But there was something strange about it.

From his position below the cup looking up at it, he could see that it was really only a few feet away from his grasp. It had a strange wall in front of it that was invisible from a head on point of view. Leaning his head back, he could see that that wall was what created the illusion that he was getting farther away from everything. It seemed that once you passed through the barrier, you would no longer have a sense of distance or time, therefore seeming to fall for eternity. If a person that was a little less level-headed than Harry ended up falling, they might die simply for fear of hitting the ground. Realizing Ron was still trying to help him up from his dangling position, Harry looked around.

"Mate... if you could... help me out here... that would be... brilliant..." said Ron breathlessly, straining to pull Harry up.

"Ron, swing me," Harry said quickly.

"What're you... talking about?" Ron asked with raised eyebrows.

"I can reach the cup from here. If you swing me I can grab it."

"No way, mate," said Ron, shaking his head. "come on, I'll pull you up."

"I'll be fine!" Harry said exasperatedly. "Just swing me!"

"No, Harry!" said Hermione desperately, reaching down to help Ron. "You mustn't touch it! You don't know what will happen!"

"I'm not going to touch it directly," said Harry, pulling his cloak over his free hand. "Just hurry up and swing me."

Ron looked like he was considering declining for a moment, but then he nodded. "All right. On three, then. One... two... _three!"_

Ron swung his arm away as Harry kicked off the wall. Harry made sure his cloak was covering his hand, and then quickly snatched the cup from where it was floating in the middle of the wardrobe.

"Got it!" he yelled, slamming back against the wall with a thud.

Ron and Hermione sighed with relief and helped Harry out of the wardrobe and onto the dusty floor. Arm aching and breathing heavily, Harry just sat there for a moment, struggling to shake off the strangeness of that wardrobe. Finally, he could wait no longer.

"All right. I suppose we ought to destroy it now," he said, eyeing the cup that lay just a few feet away.

"Er... right. How did you do it last time?" Ron asked, rubbing his arm that had been holding Harry up.

"I don't really know. I just sort of took hold of it and thought about someone I loved," Harry said, feeling a bit embarrassed at the simplicity of it.

"Thought about someone you loved?" Ron asked dubiously. "_That_ destroyed the Horcrux? How?"

"Honestly, Ron, do you _ever_ pay attention?" Hermione asked impatiently. "Remember when Harry told us about what Dumbledore had said about the prophecy? ..._Power the Dark Lord knows not?_ That power is love. The one thing Voldemort cannot stand is love. Therefore, if you want to destroy a bit of Voldemort's soul, love is the only way."

Normally Harry would have been annoyed at Hermione for snapping back at Ron, undoubtedly starting another argument, but he was glad that she was the one to explain it. She made it sound much simpler then the complicated mess he had in his head.

"Er, right," Harry confirmed. "So I guess I'll just have to..."

He reached his hand out toward the cup and was an inch away from touching it when Hermione grabbed his arm.

"You don't appear to ever listen either, Harry!" she said exasperatedly. "You can't just touch it! You don't know what will happen!"

Harry sighed. "Hermione, I touched the locket and I was perfectly fine. What makes you think this will be any different?"

Hermione hit her head against her hand in frustration. "You have no idea how stupid that statement sounds!" Harry was about to retort, but she continued. "First of all, Harry, this is Voldemort we're talking about. He is one of the cleverest people on this earth. You cannot assume that he does everything exactly the same. Second of all, the locket had already been in the possession of Regulus Black for ages, so he may have already lifted any dangerous curses from it before you got a hold of it. And lastly, you_ weren't_ perfectly fine when you destroyed the locket. The energy that it emitted knocked you back and gave you a three inch cut loaded with Black Powder!"

Harry shook his head, feeling a headache coming on. "Hermione, I have to do this. It's the only way to destroy the Horcrux." And without waiting for an answer, Harry reached out and grasped the handle.

Suddenly, he found himself in a small room, filled with all sorts of toys, both Muggle and magical. He had an eerie feeling that he had been to this place before – several times. He began wondering why this was when he suddenly heard voices.

"_Lily, I'll try to hold him off. Take Harry and run!"_

"_No, James! I can't leave you!" _

Suddenly there was a gigantic crash that made the whole house tremble.

"_James!"_

Harry realized that he still had to deal with the Horcrux and quickly pushed those voices out of his mind, utilizing what little Occlumency skills he had. But his feeble defenses did not stand a chance against the flood of memories that soon enveloped him.

He was in the Chamber of Secrets, listening to Tom tell him that Ginny was almost dead...

He was by the lake, fighting for his soul against hundreds of dementors, feeling his happiness drain away...

Then he was in the graveyard, watching Cedric's lifeless form fall to the ground as his scar seared with unbearable pain...

He watched as Sirius was hit by a jet of red light and tumbled through the veil, not emerging even as Harry screamed his name...

_No!_ he thought desperately. _No, this is the Horcrux trying to throw me. This is not real..._

Suddenly, he was back in Tom Riddle's old room. But something wasn't right. He looked around.

_Where are Ron and Hermione?_ he thought. He scanned the room carefully and noticed someone's foot sticking out from behind the bed. Heart beating faster, he moved forward and looked around the bed. He met Ron and Hermione's lifeless eyes staring up at him.

"No!" he screamed, feeling dread and guilt overwhelm him. "No, they can't be dead! They just can't be! Please! Ron... Hermione... _please!"_

But then, somewhere in the distance, almost as if from another dimension, Harry heard voices calling out to him.

"_Harry, we're here! We're fine!"_

"_Come on, mate! Focus!"_

He knew those voices. That was Ron and Hermione! He realized that the Horcrux was still playing tricks on him and focused with all his might on getting back to reality. He pictured Ron and Hermione by his side, and all the happy memories he had flooded his mind. All those times after winning a Quidditch game, or their trips to Hogsmeade, or laughing at one of Fred and George's ridiculous pranks. As he thought about them, his heart swelled, feeling overwhelming emotion toward his two best friends.

And then the pain hit him. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He felt like someone was injecting burning oil into his veins. The pain coursed through him, spreading from his hands, then up his arms, and on through his whole body. He tried to move, to do something to stop it, but it was no use. The best he could do was think about Ron and Hermione and wait for it to pass. However, the more he thought about them, the more his pain increased. After what seemed like an eternity and he thought he could bear into longer, he felt a huge concussion of energy emit from the Horcrux. He was thrown of his feet and pushed through the air at breakneck speed. Then his body slammed into the ground and all went black.

**A/N: **Ooooo, I left you with a HUGE cliffy! Sorry! I will try to get the next chapter up ASAP! I promise I'll get it up much faster than I did this one! Cheers and please review!


	13. You Still Owe Me

**A/N:** Sorry this took me so long. I wanted to get it so it fit well. It still isn't exactly how I like it, but I don't want to keep y'all waiting any longer. Oh, and don't hate me for what happens in the end!

Chapter Thirteen

You Still Owe Me

Harry regained consciousness only to feel an enormous headache. He soon realized that not only his head hurt, but _everything_ hurt. He breathed in sharply from all the aches and soon found himself coughing.

"Oh good, you're awake!" he heard Hermione say. "Ron, come back! He's awake!"

Groaning, Harry opened his eyes. He was still in Riddle's old room. There was dust and debris everywhere. It appeared that the wardrobe had blown apart and the rusty iron bedstead had collapsed. Hermione was standing over him and Ron was just walking in.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked fearfully as she and Ron knelt beside him.

Harry coughed again and cleared his throat.

"Never felt better..." he whispered hoarsely.

Harry watched Ron and Hermione's faces relax considerably. Ron grinned and Hermione gave him an exasperated look. They both looked relieved.

"Er... can you help me up?"

Ron grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. Harry looked around at the ruins of the room.

"What happened?" he breathed.

Ron looked at him awkwardly. "When you touched the cup, you went all rigid-like, and you're eyes were unfocussed, kind of like one of your visions. Then you started writhing and screaming like mad, saying that we were dead..."

"We tried to make you let go of the cup, but you wouldn't," Hermione continued. "You kept on screaming, so we tried to get through to you and then you started trembling and screaming like you were on fire."

Harry nodded. "That was the Horcrux's defensive mechanism." He started to rub his right arm, which felt rather sore. He thought he may have landed on it after the explosion. "So then there was an energy blast like last time, right?"

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"Yes, and then we all got knocked back and that's why everything is in shambles." Hermione gestured to the room with a wave of her hand. "We got up as quickly as we could and saw that you were unconscious. I sent Ron to get help, and then you came to."

Ron nodded, agreeing to Hermione's story. "Are you all right, mate?"

Harry felt a little annoyed. They were looking at him queerly, as if he might shatter at the slightest touch, both physically and mentally. But he quickly shrugged off the feeling as he remembered that they had saved his life... or his sanity. Trying to reassure them that he was indeed all right, he grinned.

"I'm fine, you guys. Just a bit tired. How about we go back and get some rest?"

"Did you pick up more of the Sleeping Draught yesterday from Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione asked, prepared to scold.

Harry sighed. "Yes, Hermione. Will you relax? Voldemort hasn't bothered me in three weeks, and I definitely haven't been collapsing in any corridors."

Hermione pursed her lips, looking insulted. "I was just making sure, Harry. You can't blame me for worrying about you – what with all the trouble you get into."

"Hey!" Harry said defensively, though playfully. He was in too good of a mood to get angry. "You follow me around doing equally dangerous things! I recall a certain Basilisk petrifying you in a hallway..."

"Yes, well..." Hermione stuttered, blushing a bit.

"And you being knocked unconscious by a hoard of dementors," Harry continued.

"Not to mention fifth year when you were hit with that curse by a death eater," Ron jumped in. "Blimey, Hermione. You're a right little troublemaker. We should be locking you in your room and never allow you out, before you get yourself killed..."

"Oh, stop it, you two," Hermione snapped, though the boys noticed a slight smile on her face.

Harry laughed heartily, almost forgetting to scoop up the now cracked Hufflepuff cup before walking out the door ahead of Ron and Hermione. They all continued to banter playfully as they walked down the hall and out into the street. They went into a tight, dark alley and prepared to disapparate. There was really only enough room for one of them to go at a time, so Harry looked around to see who would go first.

"Hermione, do you want to go?" Harry asked, turning to her.

Hermione shifted uneasily on her feet for a moment before looking up at Ron, who put his arm around her.

"Erm... actually, Harry, Ron and I were hoping for a bit of... of alone time?"

Both Ron and Hermione turned to Harry, looking rather embarrassed. Harry just rolled his eyes, wondering when they would stop being embarrassed about such silly things.

"Right," Harry said, stepping back and adjusting his cloak. "Well, I get the picture. Take the invisibility cloak with you, and I'll see you at Hogwarts in a little while."

And he promptly turned and, after a few moments of discomfort, arrived in Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Shaking himself off, he proceeded to walk up to the castle and decided to let Hermione worry about replacing the anti-apparition spell as he reflected on the past few weeks.

Since Hermione and Ron had come and told him that they had found a Horcrux, they had been working tirelessly to prepare themselves from whatever they were about to face. Well, at least Harry tried to work tirelessly. He always found himself being shoved into bed before midnight and made to sleep in until the latest possible time. One time Harry had tried to rebel and refused to go upstairs. He was so thick, he didn't even notice that they barely argued with them. Worse than that, he accepted a mug of butterbeer from Ron five minutes later after he had suspiciously poured it with his back turned. Harry woke up just in time for breakfast the next morning, and couldn't have been more furious with Ron and Hermione.

"I'm sorry mate," Ron had said. "We had to drug you. We don't want to you to make yourself sick again. Just make things easy on yourself and go to bed next time."

Harry had seriously wanted to throttle Ron, or at least shout at him, but he couldn't with so many teachers around. Swearing to get Ron back, Harry pretended to forget about it, but he could still remember it vividly.

Harry grumbled darkly at the memory as he crossed through the great oak doors into the entrance hall and made his way up the marble staircase. Lucky for Ron, Ginny had come to save him from being hexed into an oblivion several times, comforting Harry and helping him to truly forgive his two best friends.

_Ginny..._ Harry thought mournfully, swearing under his breath.

Since his collapse in the corridor three weeks ago, Ginny had done all she could to make sure Harry was all right, but did not baby him as everyone else did. He had never properly thanked her, but what made him feel really bad was that he had not been spending much time with her, because he had been preparing to destroy the Horcrux with Ron and Hermione. With a new determination in his step, Harry set off for the common room.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked lazily.

"_Lie in,"_ said Harry.

He had been confused as to exactly why the Fat Lady had picked such a bland password, but Hermione said it was probably because she was sick of being interrupted in her sleep to open up for students. Not that Harry particularly cared to know the reason. He couldn't help but think that she was just a portrait. He never told Hermione that, of course, because pretty soon she would start shaking a collecting tin at people over R.W.D.F.A.I.S. _Respect the Wall Decorations and Fight to Abolish the Insolence at this School._

Chuckling at the thought, Harry climbed into the portrait hole and started scanning for Ginny. She wasn't difficult to spot. He quickly walked over to the table where a flaming redheaded beauty was tutoring Colin Creevey in Defense against the Dark Arts.

"No, Colin, hold your wand up properly – there you go – and point it toward me – focus now – and think the word _'Rictusempra'"_ Ginny explained patiently, tossing back her long red hair so it flowed down her back.

"I'm... trying... to... focus..." Colin grunted, his eyes crunched up tight in what Harry found to be an incredibly comical expression. Sighing disappointedly, Colin relaxed and sank down into his armchair, and Ginny followed in suite.

"I'll never get this right," Colin mumbled miserably.

Harry came forward. "You're practicing the tickling hex nonverbally, right?"

Colin instantly sat up straight and nodded. "Yeah. That's what you gave us for homework..." He suddenly looked worried. "Right?"

Harry smiled at the kid's nervousness. Colin still annoyed him greatly at times, but he tried so hard in Harry's classes and he seemed to have matured an awful lot over the years, so Harry felt his respect growing for him. Nodding to Colin's question, Harry took a step forward.

"What are you thinking about when you try to cast the spell?" Harry asked.

Colin looked confused for a minute, but then replied, "I keep thinking about how much I want to get this spell right."

Harry nodded. "Right. Well, nonverbals are a little tough for me, but I think I've found a system that works. Do you want my help?"

Colin's eyes lit up instantly. "Yeah! Yeah, that'd be great!"

"All right," said Harry. He walked over to Ginny and had her stand up. "Colin, I want you to picture Ginny here in you head…"

"Okay…" said Colin, closing his eyes tightly.

"I want you to picture her laughing like mad," said Harry, grinning as Ginny looked at him confusedly. "Do you have it?"

"Yeah…" said Colin, smiling a little.

"Good. Now in your mind, think the incantation."

Colin shut his eyes tighter and pointed his wand forward. Harry carefully stepped out of the way and watched as a jet of yellow light suddenly burst from Colin's wand. Instantly Ginny was doubled over laughing and clutching her stomach.

"Great job!" said Harry, walking over and patting Colin on the back. Colin looked positively gleeful. "Now do the counterhex nonverbally."

Colin nodded and closed his eyes again, presumably trying to block out Ginny's giggles. He sat in concentration for what seemed look five minutes and nothing happened.

"Er… are you still trying to cast the counter hex?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Colin nodded in frustration, screwing his eyes up more.

"H-hurry… up…" Ginny gasped, now rolling on the ground as she giggled. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at her state.

"All right, Colin, this is just like the regular hex. Just picture Ginny sleeping peacefully or something."

Colin bit his lip and suddenly another jet of yellow light, this time a little brighter, hit Ginny and she instantly stopped laughing. Gasping for breath, she pushed herself onto her feet and smiled wearily at Colin.

"That was great, Colin!" she said encouragingly. "I think that's enough practice for now."

"Yeah, me too." He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Thanks, Harry!"

He quickly ran off and Harry walked cautiously over to Ginny. She simply glared at him.

"So… I'm back," Harry said lamely.

"Really? I couldn't tell," she replied sarcastically.

"Look, Colin needed the practice," Harry said quickly. "I would have undone the hex immediately otherwise."

Ginny sighed. "I know." She smiled brightly at him. "I'm glad you're back, and in one piece."

Harry laughed nervously. If he told her an object that contained Voldemort's soul made him hallucinate and blasted him unconscious, Ginny would lock him up and never let him out. Every time he told he was going on one of his "secret missions" she fretted for ages. He could just leave without telling her, but she would probably never forgive him.

"But," said Ginny, bringing him back into focus, "I think you owe me something for keeping me under that hex for so long."

Harry smirked and took her hand. "Like what?"

"Oh, I dunno," said Ginny. "You could do my laundry."

Harry made a face. "The house elves already do that, and I had enough of that at the Dursleys'."

"Oh?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows playfully. "And what do you have in mind?"

Harry he pulled her close and placed a hand on her cheek, and then bent down and kissed her. He would have liked to have stayed like that for hours, but unfortunately, Ginny pulled away only moments later.

"We shouldn't do this here," she said as she stepped back.

"What, snog? Why not?" Harry asked somewhat disappointedly.

"Don't give me that look Harry," said Ginny, failing to look stern as she laughed. "First of all, Romilda Vane and her little gang are looking murderous…"

"Oh, she needs to get over herself," said Harry, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, I agree. Not that I couldn't handle her, but I'm not much in the mood for getting a detention."

They both laughed, picturing Romilda running around the entrance hall with a cloud of bats surrounding her head.

"Also, I don't want us to turn into Ron and Lavender, snogging all over the place."

Harry made a face, remembering all of those awkward times when Ron and Lavender were going out. "No, I don't either."

"So," said Ginny, smiling. "The solution is to go down to your office."

Harry began to smile, but then he sighed. "I can't. Ron and Hermione have the invisibility cloak, and it's after hours."

Ginny frowned for a minute, but then she brightened a bit and smiled. It was one of Ginny Weasley's classic devious smiles that always meant something exciting was brewing in her head.

"We'll drop a bag of Dungbombs in a hallway as a distraction," she said mischievously, as if it was the most genius plan in the world.

Harry just shook his head. "First off, Filch will skin us alive if we got caught, and secondly, where are we going to get a bag of Dungbombs? I didn't bother to even bring any, what with all the tightened security."

Ginny just continued to smile, not disheartened in the least.

"Do you remember that bag I bought at Hogsmeade?" she asked quietly, so that the few others in the common room wouldn't hear.

Harry nodded for her to go on.

"Well, I still have them," she whispered in his ear.

Harry's eyes widened. "How?"

Ginny laughed mischievously. "We can't let anyone else hear."

Harry nodded and muttered the Prince's spell, and judging by the confused looks and strange motions people were making, everyone now had ringing in their ears.

"Well, when Hermione and I went back up to Hogwarts, you know how Filch jabbed at us with those Secrecy Sensors?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, before we got up there, I shrank the Dungbombs and put them in my pocket, and then I complained rather loudly about the tightened security," said Ginny excitedly. "This was on purpose, of course. Filch rounded on me and said 'You'd best appreciate all my wasted time, or I'll have you on the old wrack in the dungeon, no matter what McGonagall says.'"

Harry laughed at her excellent impression of the caretaker as she continued.

"So I boasted loudly – much to Hermione's dismay – 'I've nothing to hide. Why, I've got a bag of Dungbombs right here in my pocket!' Of course, Filch looked at me and saw that my pocket wasn't bulging with Dungbombs, so he replied 'We'll see about that,' and started jabbing me with the Secrecy Sensors."

Harry waited for her to go on, but when she didn't, he pushed, "But..."

"But the Secrecy Sensors didn't go off, of course!" she said, smirking.

Harry was confused. "Er, why not?"

"Because the fact that I had Dungbombs was not a secret," she said triumphantly. "I told Filch I had them in my pocket, so the Sensors didn't pick them up!"

Harry was silent for a moment, trying to soak it all in and remember everything. Finally he smiled.

"You're a right little devil," Harry said, smirking along with her. "And absolutely brilliant."

Ginny winked. "Thanks. Now, let me go grab them and we can go!"

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"Well, well, well, you two seem to have gotten yourselves into a bit of trouble, eh?"

Harry and Ginny sighed and rolled their eyes at the sound of glee in Filch's voice. They were both rather tired and annoyed, yet somewhat amused at the same time. Here they were, well past midnight, sitting in Argus Filch's office and waiting for punishment.

"Let's see..." said Filch, rubbing his hands together in excitement before searching his desk for something as he continued to ramble. "You will need a detention, of course. But this is much later than when I normally catch ickle kiddies after hours, and definitely more rules have been broken than usual. Perhaps a week of detentions? No, no, we need more than that, don't we my sweet?"

At first Harry was confused that Filch was talking to him, but then he felt something brush against his leg and saw Mrs. Norris walking over to her master, looking very pleased. Harry wanted to kick her, and Ginny almost did, because she's the one who got them caught. Biting back his bitter feelings, he looked back up at Filch.

"Yes... I do believe we should tell the headmistress. What would she say if two of her top students were out of bed late, mere feet away from a Dungbomb explosion? And one is a teacher, no less."

He smiled evilly at Harry, who simply glared back. It was at these times that he wished he had told Professor McGonagall at the beginning of the year that he wanted to play a teacher roll, so he couldn't get detention and he could also get Ginny out of it. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized all the things that he wouldn't be able to do, as it would not be appropriate for a professor. He couldn't play Quidditch, sit with the Gryffindors during meals, attend other classes, snog Ginny... No, he definitely liked it better as a student.

"...And then, my sweet, we can string them up by their toes-"

Suddenly there was a loud rap on the door and it quickly opened, revealing a large stomach first, followed by somewhat stubby legs, and lastly the always jovial face of Professor Slughorn.

"Ah, Mr. Filch, I've been meaning to speak to you about the lack of security in the dungeons. It's rather depressing as it is, and what with everything that has happened, I think I deserve- Harry, my boy, what are you doing here? And Miss Weasley?"

Harry opened his mouth to say something (though he wasn't exactly sure what), but Filch interrupted him.

"They were caught out of bed after hours near the scene of a crime," said Filch importantly, sounding a little annoyed that Slughorn had interrupted his rant. "I have brought them down here to give them punishment."

Slughorn looked carefully between Harry and Ginny, and somehow Harry knew that Slughorn was aware of what they had planned to do while out of bed. Harry felt his cheeks go hot, but Slughorn simply winked at him and turned to Filch.

"Argus, I'm terribly sorry that I didn't inform you, but I invited Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley down to my office earlier this evening to help me with some potions I was brewing. They had just left my office a few moments ago and were on their way to their dormitories when you must have apprehended them."

Harry could do nothing but sit in shock at what Professor Slughorn had just done. Why was he lying for them? Filch, on the other hand, just raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"They were helping you brew potions?"

Slughorn nodded emphatically. "Yes, of course. These are two of my brightest students."

Harry and Ginny beamed at the potions master, unable to believe their luck. Filch still looked uncertain.

"But surely you would have wanted the help of someone more qualified, like that Granger girl?"

"She is certainly a fine choice," Slughorn agreed. "However, Miss Granger is quite busy at the moment, what with all of her extra classes and her Head Girl duties."

Filch sighed, looking defeated. He began to shuffle through some papers when they all heard a particularly loud meow.

"What is it, my sweet?" Filch asked, looking down at his beloved cat. Suddenly, Filch looked very excited again as he listened to Mrs. Norris. Harry could only groan.

"Yes, my sweet, you are quite right," said Filch, nodding appreciatively at his cat. He turned to Professor Slughorn.

"Well, then, why did I catch them next to a huge Dungbomb explosion, then?"

Harry bit his lip and looked up at Slughorn, wondering how on earth he would get him out of that one.

"It's quite simple. Harry here wanted to work on an extra credit potion, not that he needs it, and brewed up the recipe for Dungbombs. I happen to know Zonko's secret recipe, as I have known the owner for years." Slughorn's chest swelled as he said this last bit. Then he continued plainly. "I'm sure it was some sort of accident that they dropped some on the way up?" he asked, looking at Harry and Ginny.

"Er, yeah," Harry said lamely. Fortunately for him, Ginny was a bit better at lying than he.

"Yes, Professor. We were carrying the vials when Mrs. Norris ran across our path. I accidentally tripped ad knocked one of the vials down. The glass broke and everything spilled across the floor," she finished, looking very apologetic.

"I didn't see any broken vials," Filch said stubbornly.

This time it was Harry's turn to jump in.

"Of course not. I repaired the vial and took it with me. There was just no saving the potion," Harry replied.

Filch grumbled for a minute, clearly looking for something else incriminating. Then, as response to another meow from that blasted cat, he grinned wickedly.

"Can I see the vial?"

Harry bit his lip. Neither Ginny nor Professor Slughorn could help him; he had to get himself out of this bind. He put his hands in his pocket and felt his wand and what appeared to be a Knut he had left from one of his purchases. Suddenly, Harry got an idea. He took hold of his wand and pointed it at the Knut in his pocket. Then he thought fiercely, _Morphellus._ He felt something move in his pocket, and quickly withdrew a small glass vial for everyone to see.

Filch looked dumbfounded and could do nothing but stare and mouth wordlessly. Both Ginny and Professor Slughorn grinned at him.

"Well, Argus, as you can see, this story is true. Now, I have some business to discuss with you, so would you mind allowing Harry and Ginny to go to bed?"

Filch glared at Slughorn for a moment, but finally nodded his consent. Harry and Ginny stood quickly.

"Thank you, Professor," they said in unison, wishing they could say more. Slughorn just grinned and opened the door for them. Before they had left, he leaned next to Harry and whispered, "Now go straight to bed. Don't get... distracted."

Harry just grinned, feeling himself blush slightly, before Ginny tugged on his arm and pulled him out of the office. They waited until they were up three floors and a safe distance away before they burst into laughter.

"Did you see the look on Filch's face when I pulled out that vial?" Harry asked, taking Ginny's hand.

"Priceless," she agreed. "That was some pretty impressive transfiguration, Mr. Potter," she said, smiling proudly.

"Yeah, that was cool. I've never done that well before," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Well, you've always been able to think on your feet," she said. "Oh, by the way, what did Slughorn tell you on the way out?"

"Oh, not much. He said that we should go straight to bed and that you were a horrible distraction," Harry said, grinning.

"He did _not_ say that!" Ginny scoffed.

"Pretty close."

They continued to laugh about their little midnight adventure all the way up to Gryffindor Tower. They hastily said the password, ignoring the Fat Lady's reprimand for being out so late, and walked into the very empty common room.

"We never made it to your office," said Ginny disappointedly.

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "I'm tired. Let's go to bed." He made to pull away, but Ginny pulled him back.

"Let's kip down here," she said, gesturing her head toward the large couch by the fire.

Harry shook his head. "Ron would kill me."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "So you're scared of Ron now?"

"Well, yeah, a bit. It's not exactly fun to be around him when he's angry."

"Nor is it fantastically enjoyable when _you're_ in a bad mood," said Ginny. "Just tell him to stuff it."

"He's my best mate!" Harry protested.

"So he should respect us!" Ginny replied. "Don't worry about Ron. I'll bat boogey hex him if I have to. And besides," she leaned up and kissed him gently. "You still owe me."

Harry sighed, admitting defeat happily. "Oh, all right."

They walked over to the couch and sat down. Ginny curled up against him and he leaned back, putting his arm around her. Kissing the top of her head lovingly, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

It was dark out and disturbingly quiet. Harry looked about and saw that he was all alone on a deserted, misty lane. The place looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it in all the haze. He walked forward and a house slowly came into view. He walked up onto the doorstep, raised his wand, and blasted the door open. Part of him felt strangely excited, but the other part felt very uneasy. He continued forward and heard a voice.

"_Who's there?"_ a woman called from the staircase to his right. _"Sweet heart, is that you?"_

Harry smiled and began to creep up the stairs, wand poised.

"_Dear, I left some dinner on the table, if you're hungry. I've been waiting ages for you to get home."_

Harry reached the landing and saw the woman up ahead. She was standing on the next landing up, squinting down at Harry with her wand lit and aloft. Suddenly, she looked very frightened.

"_Who are you? What do you want?"_

Harry continued closer.

"_Get away from me! Help! Help-"_

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

A flash of green light shot toward the woman and she fell to the floor, her wand falling out of her hands and rolling down the stairs...

"Harry! Harry, please wake up!"

His scar was burning past endurance. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't; he was in too much pain. He snapped open his eyes and only saw fuzzy objects. He was gasping for breath, sweating profusely, and trembling from head to foot.

"Harry, focus now. What's the matter?"

That was Ginny's voice, he thought. But he couldn't be sure. The pain in his scar seemed to increase twenty fold and he felt blackness start to edge into his vision.

"_No,_ Harry! Stay awake. Please, focus!"

He screwed up his eyes, fighting against the pain. It did not go away, but subsided enough for him to think through the clouds in his head and open his eyes.

"Are you all right?" Ginny asked, her form still rather blurry. "What happened?"

Harry took a deep breath and sat up, clutching his head. Ginny put a hand behind his back to support him and gave him his glasses. Harry pushed them quickly onto his nose and stood, swaying slightly.

"We have... t-to l-leave..." he said, willing himself not to vomit.

"No way, Harry. You're in no condition to do anything." She tried to push him pack onto the couch, but he stepped away.

"Now... We n-need to leave... now..."

He stumbled toward the boys' staircase and tried to climb up the stairs, but his scar gave another twinge of pain and he sank to onto one of the steps, breathing heavily.

"Harry, what are you trying to do?" Ginny asked, rushing over to him and feeling his forehead. Her hand felt pleasantly cool. "You're ill. Just stay here while I go get-"

"N-no!" Harry said as loud as he could, fighting to make his sentences coherent. "W-we need... to leave. G-get... Hermione... I'll g-get Ron..."

He started to get up again, but his legs were shaking so badly that he fell back down.

"Stay here," said Ginny worriedly. "I'll get them both."

She ran up the girls' staircase and disappeared. Harry just sat their, clutching his burning scar and trembling all over. A moment later Ginny emerged at the bottom of the stairs, followed closely by Hermione.

"...I've never seen him so scared, before, Hermione. We have to do something."

Hermione nodded and Ginny rushed up the stairs to the boys' dormitories as Hermione came over to Harry, who was still wincing at the pain in his scar.

"It's going to be all right Harry. Just relax. We'll get you to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey will get you some more sleeping potion-"

"NO!" Harry shouted, standing shakily. "I'm fine... We have to... l-leave..."

He heard a crashing about upstairs that made his head hurt more, and soon Ron and Ginny emerged downstairs.

"What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked, still pulling on a shoe.

Harry gulped. "I... I had another vision..."

"What happened?" Ginny asked, looking at Harry with concern.

After all Harry had been through in his life, after all the things he'd had to do and say, this was the absolute worst.

"Harry?" Ginny pressed somewhat hesitantly. "Who did Voldemort attack?"

Harry took in a deep, shaky breath.

"Your mum."


	14. A Time of Mourning

**A/N:** I know I'm horrible for making you wait so long, and I know I always apologize for that, but I hope you like this next chapter!

Chapter Fourteen

A Time of Mourning

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all stood silent in shock. Ron had his mouth hanging open and his body had slumped slightly. Hermione started to tremble and tears welled up in her eyes. Ginny had gone white as a sheet and looked like she was about to faint.

Harry didn't know what to do. He had definitely been around death, but to have to tell someone else? This was his girlfriend and best mate's mum. What was he supposed to do? He'd lost his mum, of course, but he couldn't remember her. Mrs. Weasley had been his second mother - the only woman since he was a year old that had ever treated him like a son. He felt numb, and decided he was probably in denial. Mrs. Weasley just seemed so alive to him. Always saying he was too thin, fussing over his hair, calling up the stairs for breakfast...

_The stairs,_ Harry thought. Instantly the vision of Mrs. Weasley falling, seemingly in slow motion, and crashing to the floor, played across his eyes. He remembered her wand falling from her hand and rolling... rolling down the stairs.

Ron cleared his throat. "Are-" His voice cracked and he continued hoarsely. "Are you sure?"

Harry nodded solemnly, hardly noticing that the pain in his scar was virtually gone, but he was still trembling from head to foot. He turned and saw silent tears streaming down Hermione's face as she spoke.

"W-where?"

Harry swallowed heavily. "The Burrow," he whispered.

He looked over at Ginny, unsure of what to say. She was still pale and was swaying slightly on her feet. He was afraid she would pull away if he tried to comfort her, but instead she suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Let's go," she said. Her voice strong, but Harry knew her well enough to know that she was shell shocked. She continued to sway dangerously, so Harry put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to hold her steady. She showed no reaction, just marched forward, head high.

The four walked out of the portrait hole. Judging by the windows outside, it was still very early morning, probably about three o'clock. Each step Harry took filled him with dread. Another person was dead. And not just any person, but Mrs. Weasley. He couldn't think; he wouldn't let himself think and bring back flashes of his dream. He hoped against hope that it was just a dream, but deep inside he knew that wasn't true. He knew that Mrs. Weasley was dead and that Voldemort had murdered her. His insides crumbled at the thought. How much more could he take? Dumbledore had said that his strength was to love and be loved. What if that was actually his weakness? He certainly wouldn't be able to handle much more of this. Pretty soon he would be all alone.

They pushed through the great oak doors and trudged out onto the grounds. Harry directed Ginny over to Hagrid's pumpkin patch, and when they arrived Hermione quickly undid the anti-apparition spell. At first they all just stood there silently in the freezing air, scared and unwilling to move. Finally Ginny took the initiative and stepped into the ring. She had been taking apparition classes for quite a while and could apparate sometimes, but Harry wasn't willing to take the chance of her getting splinched at a time like this. He quickly stepped up beside her, grabbed her weak arm, and apparated.

After the familiar discomfort passed, they found themselves on a misty, deserted lane. The same lane that Harry had visited not but an hour before. To his horror, but not his surprise, he saw a gigantic and sickly green Dark Mark hovering in the sky, the snake-tongue appearing to lick the top of the Burrow.

There were two small _cracks!_ and Ron and Hermione appeared beside them. Hermione gasped at the sight of the Mark and Ron instantly went pale. He led the way forward with Hermione, Ginny, and Harry followed not far behind. The walked up to the front door and saw that it was broken in, blasted by Voldemort's wand. Ron rushed into the kitchen and began calling out to his mum.

"She's not in there, Ron," said Harry, every word causing him pain.

Ron walked back to where Harry was standing, and Harry saw tears streaming unchecked down his face.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

Words failed him, so Harry lifted his hand – which was shaking horribly – and pointed the stairs. Ron ran up them, followed closely by Ginny. Harry heard their feet pounding up the stairs in a desperate run to reach their mother, but it sounded odd in his ears - almost as if they were moving in slow motion. He really did not want to go up the stairs and see Mrs. Weasley's dead face one more time, yet he knew he had to be there for Ginny. He decided to walk to the bottom of the staircase so Ginny could see him, but he still gave her some space to be with her brother.

They heard a soul wrenching wail that shattered Harry's heart to pieces. His best mate and girlfriend were in terrible grief and Harry could do nothing for them. He wanted more than anything for this to have never happened, although he could hardly believe it himself. He had seen it happen, of course - though he didn't even dare think about it again – but he couldn't bring himself to believe that Mrs. Weasley was really gone. He could still smell the dinner she'd cooked, and could imagine her hollering up the stairs to tell everyone that dinner was ready. Grief filled him and he felt his chest tighten painfully as he realized that that would never happen anymore. It was as if he had lost his mother all over again. But then he felt selfish thinking that, because Mrs. Weasley was not his mother and he felt he should be strong for his friends.

As Harry stepped to the bottom of the staircase, he noticed something on the ground in front of him that seemed out of place. Grateful for a distraction, he bent down and picked up the object. Straightening, he immediately realized that it was a wand. Mrs. Weasley's wand. Immediately the vision that had happened only about an hour before clouded his mind. Again he saw Mrs. Weasley crumple to the ground and watched as her wand fell from her limp hand, tumbling down the stairs and clattering to the floor below...

He heard sniffles and mumbling from upstairs, and he began to tremble. He could not tell if he was sad or angry or in shock, but he began to tremble so violently that he was afraid he was going to hurt himself. He sighed and relaxed a bit when he felt Hermione's gentle hand on his arm. He turned around and saw tears coursing down her cheeks as she enveloped him into a much needed hug. Normally Harry would pull away from someone other than Mrs. Weasley or Ginny hugging him, not used to such close physical contact, but he realized Hermione's need to be held, since Ron wasn't available at the moment. And upon this realization, he realized he needed the comfort as well. They just stood there, best friends providing comfort for each other in their hour of need and trying their best to be there for their respective partners.

Suddenly a figure burst through the broken door, scaring them out of their wits. Hermione yelped and grabbed Harry's arm, and he instinctively moved in front of her and pulled out his wand. He soon let his guard down, however, as the figure let out a desperate sob.

"Molly? M-Molly, are you here? Please answer!"

Harry realized that it was Mr. Weasley. He must have apparated back from the ministry and seen the Dark Mark over his house.

"D-dad?" Ron called, coming down the stairs, followed closely by Ginny.

"Ron, is that you? And Ginny? What are you doing here?" Mr. Weasley gulped. "Where's your mother?"

Tears were glistening in Ginny's eyes as she ran up and hugged her father, crying quietly into his shoulder. Mr. Weasley hugged her tightly with one arm and opened his other for Ron, who rushed in. The three Weasley's just stood there, mourning their loss with one another. Harry felt his own eyes burn at the sight of this tragedy. Thankfully, Hermione took his wrist and whispered, "Come on, Harry. Let's give them some time."

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The next few days passed almost like a dream for Harry. A strange and horrible dream.

This was all Harry's fault, and he knew it. Voldemort was trying to get to him – trying to get him to crack. He knew somehow that Mrs. Weasley was important to Harry, and important to his loved ones. Harry didn't know how he knew, because he was sure his Occlumency was good enough now to at least keep information from transferring to Voldemort, even if Voldemort could still transfer information to him. Harry was so lost and so completely guilt-ridden that all he wanted to do was sit in a corner by himself for a long time. Unfortunately, he was not the only one who lost someone, and he needed to comfort them.

The Weasley's were devastated. Mrs. Weasley had been such a huge part of each of their lives, caring for each of her children, that they didn't know what to do with themselves. They tended to stick together for the next few days, looking out for each other. Bill and Fleur came the morning after the attack, and Charlie showed up soon after. The twins were there almost moments after it happened. Harry had never seen Fred and George so depressed; they weren't even wearing their dragon skin jackets. Ron and Ginny never left each other's side and always fell asleep in their sibling's arms. Hermione was trying to help comfort them – especially Mr. Weasley, who was completely lost without his wife – while battling her own emotions. Since Ron and Ginny were constantly together, Hermione and Harry would try to find comfort in each other while giving the others some space. Harry just felt empty, past feeling anything but guilt and pain.

He couldn't figure it out. The Weasleys had always been a sense of paradise to him, like they were the people that would finally bring him happiness. And Mrs. Weasley seemed to head it all, taking care of everyone – including Harry and Hermione. Mrs. Weasley was always there, alive and well, cooking delicious meals and rubbing the dirt off Ron's nose, and somehow he couldn't picture that she was never coming back.

The funeral changed that a bit. Harry really didn't want to go, afraid the pain would consume him, but the Weasleys insisted when he tried to skive off.

"You're part of the family, Harry," Fred insisted. "You're her son, too."

Harry couldn't possibly say no to something like that, so he found himself standing in a small cemetery on the other side of Ottery St. Catchpole with the Weasley family and a few friends on a cold February morning for the interment of Molly Prewitt Weasley.

"I am here to speak today on behalf of the Weasley family," said Jeremiah Fust, who had come the day before for this purpose. "They felt it best to have a short ceremony and then get out of the cold."

Jer took a deep breath. "I have known the Weasleys since I met Bill in the Gryffindor common room after the welcoming feast in our first year at Hogwarts. Mrs. Weasley was always like a mother to me, as she was to us all. She had a big heart and a bone crushing hug."

Harry laughed along with everyone else at that, remembering her wonderful hugs. But his chuckles died off quickly as he realized he'd never get one of her hugs again.

Jer's eyes now glistened slightly. "She always made sure everyone was all right and never allowed anyone to be left out. She worried over everyone she knew as much as she worried about her own children."

Harry found himself nodding at this, remembering all the times she had fretted over him as if he were a son.

"She was an amazing cook," Jer said with a sad smile, and everyone murmured in agreement. "She could whip up a meal in mere minutes and it would always be a meal fit for a king."

Harry heard a quiet sob next to him and saw Ginny trembling with grief. Forgetting about the space he had been trying to give her, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, holding her hand. A lone tear rolled down Jer's cheek.

"Molly always stayed up to make sure all of her family was safe in bed, and refused to sleep if they weren't."

Mr. Weasley was now crying freely, and Harry knew it was because Mrs. Weasley had been staying up for him the night she had died.

"She certainly had a strong voice," Jeremiah said, and a ripple of laughter spread through the crowd. "She made her presence known and wasn't a person to mess with when she was angry. Fred and George wanted to remind everyone that – although she did yell at them a lot – she always apologized and always let them know she loved them."

Jer's voice broke at this, and Harry could no longer hold back his own tears. He shamelessly wiped them away and looked back up to where Jer was standing in front of the casket.

"And that was the life of Molly Prewitt Weasley," Jer concluded. "She always cared for others before herself, and she loved everyone. On behalf of the Weasley family, I would like to say thank you to all of you for coming, and now we will proceed with the interment."

Jer stepped aside and Mr. Weasley stepped forward, clearing his throat and wiping his eyes. He tried to speak, but his voice appeared to fail him. Instead, he simply nodded to Bill, who led the way forward.

All of the Weasleys stepped moved to where a table stood, holding about a dozen roses. Bill grabbed one first and walked over to place it on the coffin.

"I'll miss you, Mum."

He placed the rose on the shiny wood and stepped aside for his wife to come through.

"Zank you for everyzing," said Fleur before placing the rose and running over to Bill, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Goodbye, Mum," said Charlie, his chin quivering slightly. He too placed a rose on the coffin and stepped aside.

The twins went together, heads down and never looking more defeated. They walked up to their mother's casket and reverently set their roses down. Fred quietly pulled something out of his pocket and Harry realized that it was a very old looking Ton-Tongue Toffee.

"You never got all the sweets when you raided our stash a few years ago," Fred said, swallowing heavily.

"We thought we'd give you the last one," said George, wiping his eyes before he and Fred walked over to where their siblings stood.

Ron started to walk over, but he was shaking so horribly that Hermione had to come over and help him forward. She too had a rose, and they went to the casket together.

"G-goodbye, Mum," said Ron, so quietly that Harry almost didn't hear. "I'll... I'll miss your corned beef sandwiches and maroon sweaters." Ron closed his eyes tightly and stepped aside, still holding Hermione's hand as she said goodbye.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," she whispered. She might have said more, but tears began to stream down her face, and she quickly turned and stood with Ron.

Ginny was next, but she wasn't moving. The tears were no longer falling; she just stared as the coffin that held her mother. Harry thought it unfair that Ginny only had her mother for sixteen years, when all of her brothers had at least come of age before... this.

"Ginny?" Harry whispered into her ear hesitantly. "You don't have to go up if you don't want to, but I'll be right here with you."

Her eyes were red and puffy, but that same look of determination that Harry loved so much suddenly came. She nodded and Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly before they stepped forward.

"Mum, I-" she stopped and took a deep breath. Harry could see the pain in her eyes and wished so badly that he could take it away, but he knew he couldn't.

"Mum, I'm going to miss you so much," Ginny whispered. "I love you."

Harry felt his throat constrict as he watched Ginny place her rose softly next to that of her siblings'. Those three simple words hit home where nothing else did. He didn't know exactly why those words had such an effect on him, but he realized that he still had to say his bit. He cleared his throat.

"Mrs. Weasley..." Harry began, struggling to contain his emotions. "Mrs. Weasley, thank you for... for being the mother I didn't have. Thank you for being my mum."

He placed the rose next to Ginny's and carefully guided the youngest Weasley to stand with her family.

The last person was Mr. Weasley. He walked slowly up to the casket and placed his rose upon it. He began whispering words to it that Harry could not understand. However, he could see the look in Mr. Weasley's eyes. Never had he seen someone's eyes filled with so much love. The compassion Mr. Weasley had for his wife was evident as he whispered his soft words of goodbye.

After about five minutes, the breeze picked up and Mr. Weasley looked up with a pained smile and walked over to his children. He put an arm around Charlie and nodded to a few men standing beside the casket. They both nodded in confirmation and raised their wands. Slowly, the casket lowered into the grave, and Harry watched it sink all the way to the bottom. With another flick of the men's wands, dirt covered it and a granite headstone lay atop the mound. Harry read the words the Weasleys had so carefully chosen a few days earlier.

"**Molly Prewitt Weasley**

**Beloved Wife and Mother**

**Thank you**

**For all of your love, compassion and trust.**

**You shall be sorely missed.**

'**Til we meet again**"


	15. The Passage to Hogsmeade

**A/N: This chapter has now been beta-ed! Check _MY PROFILE_ for more information on my fanfics. Cheers!**

Chapter Fifteen

The Passage to Hogsmeade

It had been about a month since the funeral, and life had somewhat returned to normal, although it was still rather difficult for everyone. The first week back at school had been the worst. People kept coming up to the Weasleys and giving them their condolences – whether sincerely or not. Ron and Ginny had been teetering with their emotions at that point. Every reminder affected them. The worst case was when Vladimir Omega got wind of what had happened.

"So she's finally gone, is she?" Omega had called across the entrance hall. "I'm trying to decide whether her kicking the bucket was good or bad. You see, it's good that she's finally graced us with her absence, but now we've got to deal with all the sodding Weasleys in the country that can't do anything but cry for their lost mummy."

The only good thing that had come of that situation was that Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione all got the opportunity to curse the blasted first year to kingdom come while all of the teachers conveniently turned a deaf ear on the Slytherins' protests.

Harry was absolutely amazed at how well Ron and Ginny were taking... well, everything. He knew they missed their mum something terrible, but he also knew that they were coping. They spent a few evenings a week staying up late into the night telling stories and reliving the good times they'd had with their late mother. Hermione would stay with them and offer them comfort, but Harry felt strangely alienated and couldn't bear to sit with them. On such occasions, Harry would snatch his invisibility cloak and Marauders Map and head off to a secluded room to think and sulk a bit.

He couldn't help but feel guilty. After all, Voldemort would have never attacked the Weasleys had it not been for the relationships they shared with Harry. He had known he was endangering them the day Dumbledore had died. Why hadn't he just left?

After a few sleepless nights with this thought first and foremost in his mind, Harry realized something. Sure, he had endangered the Weasleys by knowing them. But what about thie visions of all the people he didn't know? It was all Voldemort's doing. Voldemort was the one to blame. Upon this realization, another emotion settled in the pit of Harry's being that had not resided within him with such great measure for nearly a year. He couldn't even wrap the emotion into one word. A few words came close.

Anger.

Pain.

Hatred.

Vengeance.

This emotion festered inside of him and he could find no escape. He couldn't focus on anything else for more than a few moments. He refused to talk to anyone about it – even Ginny. Instead he hid himself away and allowed this emotion to increase in strength and conviction. With each passing moment a pressing need grew within him. There would be no more dawdling - no more worrying about trivial things. Harry absolutely had to focus on destroying Voldemort.

So Harry locked himself away and hid from everyone, researching feverishly for any sign of the last two Horcruxes. Well, the _last _Horcrux, really. If Dumbledore had guessed right, as he had with everything else, the final step before destroying Voldemort was killing his precious snake, Nagini. The mysterious second-to-last Horcrux was the only catch.

"The diary... the ring... the locket... the cup... the snake... and... What else!" Harry bellowed into the old classroom he was currently occupying on the third floor.

"Talking to yourself is bad enough, but shouting? That's just unhealthy."

Harry whipped around and saw Ron standing in the doorway. He had a small smile on his face, but it quickly faltered as Harry glowered at him.

"What do you want?" Harry asked, trying to sound menacing but failing miserably.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize that best mates had to get permission to sit and chat."

Harry sighed guiltily, the phrase "best mates" resonating in his mind. They were best mates, and Ron had just lost his mother. _I should be more careful about what I say around him_, Harry chided himself.

"I'm sorry, Ron. Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

Ron gave him a queer look before answering. "Yeah, actually, I did. _Why are you being so bloody stubborn?_ You've been avoiding us for weeks! Ginny and I aren't cheaply made remembralls, you know. We won't shatter if you stay around for a while."

Harry started to protest, but Ron interrupted him again.

"Look, Harry, forget your worries for a bit and come up to the common room. No one's gonna bite. Unless Ginny has her Monster Book of Monsters laying around..."

Ron folded his arms defiantly, clearly conveying his message of not taking "No" for an answer. Harry shook his head in defeat.

"All right, I'll come," he said, pocketing his things and following Ron out of the room.

The truth was that he was grateful for his distraction from all the misery he'd been feeling of late. He didn't know how Ron kept on going – or Ginny for that matter. The entire Weasley family was so strong, it amazed Harry how well they stuck together and got through this time of trial. He wished he could feel that strength, but the truth was, it was his fault Mrs. Weasley had been killed. He knew that sounded rather melodramatic – it wasn't like _he _had killed her, after all. But Harry knew that the only reason Mrs. Weasley was attacked was to get to him. It didn't help that every night since the attack Harry could feel Voldemort's excitement in the way he was reacting. He saw visions of her death in his sleep. He felt sick inside – somehow contaminated through his scar – and there was absolutely no cure except to destroy the one who had afflicted him.

Harry continued to think along these lines as Ron stated the password ("_Mugwump"_), and they climbed into the common room.

Ginny looked up from talking to Hermione and smiled as she saw Harry and Ron.

"Good, you found him. I told you that you could get him up here easy enough."

Ron glared at her. "_I_ knew I could, but you could have gotten him up here so much faster!"

Harry felt his anger flare up at this. Did they really see him as so easy to sway? "What exactly is that supposed to mean, Ron?" he asked accusingly.

A spark of worry flashed in his three friends' eyes, but then Ginny stood up with a mischievous smile and took Harry's hand.

"He only meant that you like me better than him, Harry." She winked. How could he stay angry with someone so beautiful?

"Yeah, you're right," Harry said with a small smile.

"Hey!" Ron protested. "I'm standing right here!"

Harry and Ginny laughed, though Harry stopped quickly. Every time he laughed it reminded him painfully of Mrs. Weasley. Ginny must have noticed him tense, because she sighed and guided him to sit in the chair she had recently occupied and she sat on the armrest, slowly drawing on his back with her finger as she spoke.

"Ron, get over yourself. Why don't you think about your N.E.W.T.s to take up your time, like Hermione keeps telling you? You could use some studying in Potions..."

Harry felt himself slowly relax and he could no longer hear what Ginny was saying. He was focusing on her hand as it drew circles around his shoulders and upper back, completely unpredictable but extremely calming. He felt his worries wash away from him and he went into a kind of stupor. He thought he might fall asleep right now...

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Harry groaned inaudibly as he was brought back to the real world. His eyes slowly focused and he looked up to see Hermione rushing to the window. Ginny had stopped tracing on his back, and turned to look, so Harry blearily followed her gaze.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ron asked, stepping up beside her and peering at the owl. "I don't recognize the handwriting– Hey! This bloke addressed it, '_My Dearest Hermione.' _What's this all about?"

Hermione suddenly blushed. "Well, it's... erm... well..."

"Spit it out, Hermione. Who's the letter from?" said Ginny impatiently.

Hermione's cheeks turned crimson as she mumbled something.

"Come again?" Ginny asked with a smile.

"Well, it's... now don't hate me Ron, but it's from Viktor."

At that point, Harry wouldn't have been surprised if steam had begun to pour out of Ron's ears, he was so angry.

"What does that prat want?" Ron demanded, his face turning redder by the second.

Hermione suddenly looked just as angry. "He's not a prat, Ron. Why can't you just respect how I feel about him?"

"How _do_ you feel about him?" Ron countered.

"We're just friends, Ron! It's not like he's writing me love letters! Look, if you read it, you'll see that I'm telling you the truth." She handed Ron the letter and he tore it open unceremoniously.

"Hem hem. _My Dearest Hermione. It has been so very long since we have seen each other. Our love is so strong that I cannot bear another moment without you. I know you feel the same way, and that your temporary boyfriend, Don Weasel_-"

"Give me that!" Hermione demanded, snatching the paper from Ron's hands.

"Oh, so it's true! You've just been messing with me, waiting for your darling _Vicky_ to whisk you off your feet!" he exclaimed. Ron's face was about as red as a Muggle fire hydrant. Harry was seriously worried that he would explode.

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione said in exasperation.

"Oh, good, at least you know my name!" he bellowed.

"Ron, you know this isn't true!" shouted Hermione tearfully.

"Do I? You have a funny way of showing me otherwise."

Harry couldn't take any more of this. He had enough on his mind without these two arguing. He stood abruptly and walked past the bickering couple - ignoring Ginny's questioning look - up to his dormitory and snatched up his invisibility cloak. He quickly threw it over himself and walked quietly back down the stairs. He needn't have worried about stealth, however, since Ron and Hermione were now on opposite sides of the room hollering up a storm, causing the other Gryffindors to scatter. He quickly made his way around them and walked out of the portrait hole.

_Great. Not only do I have to worry about the Horcruxes and making sure everyone stays safe, but now I have to deal with the stress of my best friends arguing all the time!_ Harry thought angrily.

_Well, it's not like that's any different than it ever was,_ came a new thought, sounding much too practical for Harry's taste.

_All the more reason to be annoyed by it!_ he thought as he stomped down the corridors. He continued to think such things, not really knowing where he was going until he spotted the one-eyed witch. He quickly stopped and pulled out his wand, thinking a walk outside of Hogwarts grounds would be an immense relief.

"_Dissendium!"_

The witch's hump immediately moved aside and he jumped into it. After a quick trip down the stone slide, he was soon on his feet, brushing himself off. He quickly muttered "_Lumos,"_ set his cloak aside and continued down the familiar dark passage that led to Honeydukes. It seemed like ages that he was left to stew with his thoughts when he suddenly realized there was a quiet whispering coming from up ahead. Checking to make sure his wand was at the ready and silently cursing himself for leaving his cloak behind, Harry took a few more quiet steps forward, perking an ear toward the voices, which seemed to be moving slowly toward him.

"This is insane! A suicide attempt!" came a male voice

"We have to warn him, so you may either remain here, or continue on with me," a voice that was much deeper, and though he couldn't quite place it, he felt sure he recognized it.

"Since when do you care about _him,_ anyway?" Come to think about it, Harry knew that voice, too.

"Since never, you know that. But he is supposed to-"

Harry could have kicked himself for not realizing how close they were and hiding. However, self discipline left him as he saw the faces of the two men that stood before him, staring at him in shock, fear, and contempt.

Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape.


	16. Revelations

**A/N: This chapter has now been bata-ed. Check my profle for info on all my fanfictions!**

Chapter Sixteen  
Revelations

Many people say that Harry Potter has lightening reflexes and thinks fast on his feet, and up until this point, Harry had gracefully accepted these assertions. However, nothing could have prepared him for this ultimate shock as he came face to face with two out of three of his worst enemies.

"_Incarcerous_!" Malfoy yelled, invisible ropes shooting out of his wand. Snape must have done the same spell nonverbally, because ropes shot out of his wand also. Within the blink of an eye, Harry found himself wrapped up so tightly that he felt his ribs might crack if he moved in the slightest.

"So the great and noble Potter decides to grace us with his presence?" Snape sneered contemptuously. It seemed that Harry's surprise entrance had not startled Snape in the slightest. Malfoy, however, looked more than slightly disconcerted.

"H...H-how..." Malfoy swallowed heavily and tried to put on a brave face. "How did you get down here, Potter?"

Harry felt his anger boiling almost to the height of that night three days before the funeral. He couldn't believe either of them would dare speak to him. They caused Dumbledore's death! Draco had planned it and Snape had _killed_ him. And here they were, walking about the secret passages of Hogwarts like they owned the place.

"Why do you want to know?" Harry spat. "So you can go murder everyone else in Hogwarts? Or perhaps so you can run away? Ruddy lot of cowards-"

Suddenly Harry found no sound coming from his mouth and after a few moments of mouthing silently from his pathetic position on the floor, he realized that Snape had cast a silencing charm nonverbally. As much as Harry hated to admit it, Snape was correct that nonverbal spells were essential, and if his legs weren't tied up, Harry would have kicked himself for being so careless in studying.

"Now that your enormous mouth has finally ceased, I can speak to you," said Snape, and he and Malfoy smirked in unison.

Though Harry could not respond, he glared at his ex-professor with all the loathing he could dredge up on him. Needless to say, Snape got the message.

"Potter, I don't want to be here any more than you, so I will say this once and only once: I am not who you think I am."

All Harry wanted to do was rip Snape limb from limb, but he was forced to listen as Snape continued with a clearly thought out speech.

"I am here to deliver a message upon Dumbledore's orders. You may do what you like with the information, but I am required to tell you anything that has to do with the Dark Lord's remaining Horcruxes.

That one word alone snapped Harry to attention. _Horcruxes?_ But how could he possibly-

"I assure you, Potter, you are not the only one Dumbledore trusted with such information, though you are one of few. And I suggest you think carefully. I know what a dreadful Occlumens you are and the Dark Lord can easily break through your defenses.

"But on to my point. I am here to tell you that the Dark Lord knows what you are up to. He does not know the extent of the damage you and Dumbledore have caused on his soul, but he does know that you are aware of methods for immortality. Now, for the safety of not only yourself and your schoolmates, but the entire wizarding world, I must know how many Horcruxes have been destroyed."

Snape flicked his wand and Harry knew that he could speak.

"How do I know you're not a double agent, trying to find out the information for your _master_?" Harry snapped.

"He is no master of ours," Snape shot back, gesturing to himself and Malfoy. "But I know your thick head cannot see the obvious truth behind all this. I suppose I ought to start from the beginning.

"Dumbledore gave me the position of spy for the Order of the Phoenix nearly three years ago, as I'm sure even your pitiful mind can recall," Snape drawled. Harry couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at Snape's longwindedness, but was forced to allow him to continue. "I, being the more clever of the Dark Lord's servants, found my way to his inner circle relatively quickly, though he never fully trusted me. The Dark Lord is not foolish enough to trust completely, if at all. But when he gave Draco the task of killing Dumbledore, I knew it was in actuality a test of my faithfulness. I knew then, more than ever before, that I must not break my cover.

"Two summer's ago, Narcissa Malfoy approached me, begging me to watch over Draco while he sought to complete his task. Bella, being the fool that she is, insisted that if my true loyalties lay with the Dark Lord, I must perform an Unbreakable Vow. I knew that Draco did not have it in his heart to murder anyone, even if he didn't realize it himself, but I was forced to remain under cover and vow to aid and protect Draco, and take over his task, should he fail."

Snape stood and began pacing the room, while Malfoy sat against the wall opposite Harry, looking rather bored.

"As soon as it was safe, I immediately sent a patronus to Dumbledore, warning him of my position in the whole affair. His answer prompt and brief: Do what you must do to stay under cover. I grudgingly accepted his commands, and when the time and situation arrived, I had to kill him."

Harry glared at him. "Why didn't you just break the vow and die?" he said roughly.

Snape's face turned red with anger, but he managed to speak in a calm voice.

"Honestly, Potter, do you really not see the repercussions of such an action? If I had broken the vow and chosen to spare Dumbledore's, not only would I die, but Draco would immediately be sought out and murdered. Voldemort would find and kill all of the other spies in his ranks, as well as the new recruits. The Order would no longer have the inside information they need. Sparing Dumbledore's life would lose us the war."

Harry had harbored ill and spiteful feelings toward Snape for so long that he found it difficult to simply let go of the loathing he had misplaced for a year.

"You looked like you wanted to kill him!" Harry threw out. "The look on your face – you hated Dumbledore."

Snape shook his head in disgust. "Wrong again, Potter. Ignoring the fact that I was undercover and was therefore acting, I also don't really care for murdering the one person who has been like a father to me since I was eleven years old," he said wearily. "And as much as I enjoy discussing my innermost feelings with you, Potter, I really find this subject to be rather pointless."

Harry clenched his teeth and turned to Malfoy. "So what's your story? Are you immune to murdering old men, too?"

Malfoy glared at him. "As a matter of fact, Potter, I never really cared for kissing anyone's slimy feet." He said no more, but that was enough for Harry to realize that even with his snooty attitude, Malfoy was still opposed to Voldemort.

"We need to know the number of Horcruxes you have destroyed, Potter!" Snape growled. "There is no more time!"

"There's only one left besides Voldemort's snake," Harry blurted out, not exactly sure why he told two of his three worst enemies that piece of information, no matter how "innocent" they were.

"You really are full of yourself, Potter," said Malfoy, stepping forward. "Why don't you stop bragging and do your job, just like Old Dumbledore wanted?"

"Shove off, Malfoy, I didn't ask for this!" Harry said venomously.

Malfoy took a step forward. "Neither did I."

Suddenly there were footsteps coming from the tunnel, the direction of Hogwarts. All three whipped their heads around as it became steadily louder.

"Someone's coming!" Snape hissed, grabbing Draco's arm. They extinguished the lights and Harry felt himself being freed. "Remember what we discussed Potter," Snape whispered in Harry's ear, startling him with the sudden close proximity. He felt something jam into his hand and a whisper from Malfoy.

"Say hello to my friend Vladimir for me, will you Potter?" he laughed quietly. And then all was silent except for the footsteps that were now just a few feet away.

"_Lumos_" Harry heard someone mutter before he blinked up and looked at the intruder.  
Ron.

"Harry?" Ron asked, stopping in front of him. "What are you doing in here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Harry shoved back.

Ron sighed, so uncharacteristic of him. Harry was so surprised by this that his annoyance melted away.  
"This is where I come when I need a little air," Ron replied.

"Funny, there's not much in here," Harry joked weakly. It felt so uncomfortable to joke around your best mate when said person's mother has just died. But Ron chuckled softly anyway before letting silence fall upon them.

"I'm guessing you're still working things out with Hermione?" Harry asked, remembering the reason why he himself was here in the first place.

"Yeah." Ron kicked at a loose rock and sat down next to Harry. "I usually don't come in this far, but I heard voices. What were you doing, talking to yourself?" Ron asked with a grin.

"More like yelling," Harry said, bending the truth. "You know how I keep all that pent up anger inside."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, I'm definitely experienced in that sort of reaction from you."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Harry said playfully.

"It means that you're a right prat when you want to be," said Ron before getting up and running back toward the school.

"Hey, get back here!" Harry called, smiling for the first time in ages as he got up and sprinted after his best mate.


	17. Snape's Riddle

**A/N: This chapter has now been beta-ed! Woohoo! Thanks Hoofs! Anywho, check MY PROFILE for more info on my fics. That includes _SNEAK PEEKS_ on various stories. Cheers!**

Chapter Seventeen

Snape's Riddle

In the early hours of the morning, Hogwarts stood still and silent amongst the mountains it lay nestled between. Everyone was sleeping soundly. Well, everyone but Harry Potter.

It had been three days since his confrontation with Snape and Malfoy. Three days of pondering over what they had said. Three days of trying to ignore Ron and Hermione's "kiss and make up" philosophy (for that is exactly what they did not long after Harry and Ron had returned to Gryffindor tower that night). Three days of holding a crumpled piece of parchment in his hand, pondering it's words.

_"When the dark planet emerges and reaches it's peak,_

_When the old Greek diverges, you will be able to seek. _

_The heart of darkness lies in it's place. _

_So continue onward, through the lace._

_It's warm like the comfort of a mother's womb._

_But always be wary, lest it become your tomb."_

So far Harry had gotten nothing from the paper except a very large headache. He had no idea what Snape was trying to tell him when he gave him the parchment. He suspected it was some sort of hint, but he was no good with riddles. Yet he hadn't told anyone about his encounter with Snape and Malfoy because he was afraid of what they might think – that he was stark raving mad and should be admitted to the permanent spell damage ward at St. Mungo's.

"What should I do?" Harry muttered aloud from his four poster, where he sat pondering this information. As if in response, Harry heard Ron snore loudly and mutter something like "Hermione..." and "parchment..." Startled beyond his wits at having Ron answer his question while he was asleep, Harry was silent for a moment. Then his curiosity got the better of him and he tried again.

"But what if she's bothered about my... er... informant?" Harry pressed.

"Won't... care..." Ron mumbled as he rolled over so his back was to Harry. Harry thought this must be some sort of sign, so he resigned himself to asking Hermione in the morning. With that in mind, he slid under the covers and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Harry dragged himself out of bed. His sleep hadn't been all that peaceful, as he had had another vision, but he had enough sleep to have time in the morning to think.

Harry quickly changed into his robes and grabbed the parchment before slipping downstairs. He was expecting to be alone for a few hours waiting for Hermione to come down, but to his surprise, Hermione and Ron were already there.

Ron looked up from staring at the fire. "'Lo mate," he yawned while gesturing for him to sit.

"Morning," Hermione added quietly.

Harry walked across the room feeling rather confused and sat down with a plop.

"What are you two doing up?" he asked curiously.

"We've been wondering what you were up to lately, and decided to get up early to catch you so we'd have time to talk," said Hermione.

"Oh," Harry replied lamely.

"You're not trying to shut us out again, are you?" Ron asked. "Cause if you are, I'm gonna have to break down the door."

Harry gave a small smile and leaned back against the comfortable couch. "No, I... I learned something about the mystery Horcrux."

"Really?" Hermione asked excitedly. "What do you know? Do you know what it is? Or better yet, where it is? Is it heavily guarded? When can we get it? Are you just going to sit there and not answer my questions!"

Ron put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Hermione, take a breath." Then he turned back to Harry. "Nothing like another piece to a puzzle to start out the day, eh? So what did you learn?"

Harry sighed. "I received a clue from... someone."

"Who?" Hermione and Ron asked at once.

"It doesn't really matter-"

"Harry," Hermione said in a warning tone. "You insisted on no secrets. Who did you get the clue from?"

Harry sighed wearily, looked away and whispered, "Snape."

"What!"

The silence following their exclamation left Harry's ears ringing. He stared at his shoes for a few moments before chancing a glance at his two best friends. What he saw didn't surprise him in the slightest. Ron was out of his seat, deathly pale, and Hermione's jaw had dropped to the ground. If the situation hadn't been so serious, the scene might have been comical.

"Look, I know what you're thinking-"

"Did I hear you right?" Ron asked.

"I do believe he said _Snape,_" Hermione repeated feebly.

Both continued to stare at Harry until he finally spoke up again.

"I... well, I sort of met him and Malfoy in the tunnel that leads to Honeydukes," Harry began. "They caught me by surprise and tied me up before I could do anything." This was a rather embarrassing thing for Harry to admit, and what Hermione said next didn't help in the slightest.

"Harry, you must always be prepared. Especially now, when-"

"Yes, yes, I know that!" Harry snapped. "But as you can see I'm perfectly fine."

"Yes but that doesn't mean- Wait a minute, how are you perfectly fine?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Yeah, you said Snape gave you a _clue_?" Ron pushed. "How did he even know about the Horcruxes?"

"Because Dumbledore told him," Harry said wearily.

"But Dumbledore said that he only told you about it, didn't he?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I thought so but maybe he didn't," Harry said thoughtfully. "Maybe I just assumed that."

"Well, go on then, what did Snape say?" Ron asked.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He asked me to tell him how many Horcruxes were destroyed, and then he explained his innocence."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, right, and my sister is channeling Merlin right now."

"Listen to what Harry has to say, Ron," Hermione scolded before motioning for Harry to continue. Harry allowed himself to smile inwardly at how much his friends had rubbed off on each other before moving on with his explanation.

"His story, it... it made sense. Trust me, I didn't want to believe it at first either, but it all added up. So I told him what we had destroyed."

"You didn't!" Ron whispered in horror.

"Harry, even if you believed him, it doesn't mean you should trust him," Hermione reasoned.

"Dumbledore trusted him, so why shouldn't I?" Harry challenged. When he heard nothing, he continued. "Then we heard footsteps, so, Snape doused the lights and shoved something in my hand before disappearing. Little did we know, it was Ron who was intruding."

Ron smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, mate."

"What did he shove in your hand?" said Hermione, not to be deterred by such an unimportant fact.

"This."

Harry took the now crumpled piece of parchment out of his pocket and laid it out on the coffee table in front of them. Ron and Hermione leaned forward to read it. When finished, Ron sat up, looking thoroughly confused. Hermione then snatched it up and began reading it furiously over and over again.

"What the h-"

"Ronald! Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Hermione scolded while setting down the paper and looking up. "Well, this doesn't look to be too bad."

Harry smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that." Harry inwardly thanked Ron's oblivious sleep talking. Then he was suddenly curious. "Ron, what were you dreaming about last night?"

Ron frowned in concentration. "I remember something about watermelons..." he said. "And I think there were a few grasshoppers..."

"Is that all?" Harry asked.

"I think so..." Ron said, brow furrowed. "Oh, and I asked Hermione if I could borrow a bit of parchment for my Herbology essay."

Hermione snorted. "Your dreams really keep the adrenaline pumping."

Harry chuckled and pondered the interesting ways answers simply came to him. _From first year with a chocolate frog card to seventh year with Ron's sleep-talking,_ Harry mused.

"_Anyway_," Ron said loudly, "what can we figure out from this bloody- ow! Hermione!"

"When you learn to stop swearing, I'll learn to control my foot's random spasms," Hermione said with a small smile. "But this riddle is very confusing."

Harry and Ron both groaned.

"_Confusing_," Hermione said with emphasis, making the boys quiet, "but not at all impossible. This seems to be very much like Professor Snape's style,"

"He's not a professor anymore, Hermione, you don't have to call him one," Ron pointed out. Hermione just frowned at him before continuing.

"'_When the dark planet emerges and reaches it's peak.' _Hmm, that certainly is tricky," Hermione muttered.

"How do you know when a dark planet arises?" Ron asked. "I mean, you can only see planets in the dark, and if the planet is dark... well then, you can't see it," he reasoned.

"Unless," Hermione interjected, seeming to talk to herself. "Unless it means 'dark planet' as in a planet you can see when it's dark. But of course, planets don't arise. They rotate very slowly during the course of a year, so that couldn't be it-"

"The moon," said Harry suddenly. "The moon is like a planet when it is full, and it rises and falls."

"Of course!" Hermione said excitedly. "So when the full moon reaches it's peak, '_When the old Greek diverges, you will be able to seek.'_ Old Greek. Old Greek..."

"So it's basically saying that there's an old Greek bloke that rips himself in two, and that's where we'll be able to find the next Horcrux?" Ron said, causing Harry to laugh at the image.

"I need a map," said Hermione before standing and rushing up the staircase to the Girls Dormitories. Ron and Harry had barely enough time to exchange a questioning look before she had rushed back down (albeit quietly, as it was very early and they wanted to keep their privacy), carrying a gigantic book.

"An atlas?" Ron asked. "I knew you had a lot of books Hermione, but you carry around an _atlas?_"

Hermione scowled. "You never know when you might need a map," she pouted before flipping through the pages at such a speed that only Hermione could maintain. Once she had found what Harry presumed to be the index, she began running her finger down the page. "Old Greek. Old Greek. Old Gree- Ah! Here it is. B-12." She quickly flipped to the correct page and opened it wide so all three of them could see. "Here is is. A small river in upper Scotland, called the Greek."

Harry and Ron stared in awe.

"I stand by what I said in first year, Hermione. You are blood- er... incredibly brilliant," said Ron, looking to Hermione nervously. She beamed.

"Thanks Ron," Hermione said gratefully. "But we're not done yet. So, when the full moon reaches its peek and this Greek river splits, we'll be able to find the Horcrux. What else does it say?"

"'_The heart of darkness lies in it's place,'"_ Harry intoned._ "'So continue onward, through the lace.'"_

"Well, the heart of darkness is obviously the piece of Voldemort's soul," Hermione reasoned. "So the Horcrux lies in it's place. Hmm, 'In it's place.' What an awfully vague description."

"I second that," Ron said in disgust. "Leave it to Snape to give us something like this."

"And _I_ second _that_, " said Harry angrily. "What could this possibly mean?" he asked to the ceiling as he leaned back.

"Wait a moment," said Hermione. She scanned the parchment carefully. "A common grammar rule is that an unknown is revealed when reflecting back to previously specified noun in the clause."

"In English, please?" said Ron.

"This _is_ English," Hermione insisted. "The very basic grammar rules of the English language. The word 'it' is always reflected back to the latest noun or pronoun. So that means that 'it' is referring to the heart of darkness..."

"Which gets us absolutely nowhere," Harry said in frustration. "_The heart of darkness lies in the heart of darkness' place_? Well, obviously!"

"Wait a minute, though. It's more than that." Hermione lifted the parchment and showed it to Harry. "Perhaps it's not referring back to the _heart_ of darkness, but simply the darkness."

"So the Horcrux lies in the darkness?" Ron asked slowly.

"Precisely," said Hermione proudly.

"I still don't see how that hint helps us at all," Harry said stubbornly.

"Well, when we go there, it will give us some warning, won't it?" said Hermione reasonably. "Maybe that is something we really need to know. Maybe it will be so dark, we won't be able to light the way."

"Even with our wands?" Ron gulped.

"_Especially_ with our wands," Hermione replied. Harry nodded his head in agreement, realizing that that is exactly the kind of thing Voldemort would do - put people in complete darkness and take advantage of one of humankind's greatest fears.

"Well, what's next, then?" Harry asked.

"'_So continue onward, through the lace,'_" said Hermione.

Ron gulped. "I know what that means. I just realized- But if that's what it is, then... oh no."

"What are you on about?" Harry asked curiously.

Ron took a deep breath. "Spider webs," he said simply.

"Spider webs?" Hermione said dubiously. "Ron, I know you are very afraid of spiders, but-"

"How come when you or Harry come up with something, it's automatically right, but I'm always automatically wrong?" Ron asked angrily.

Harry and Hermione were both shocked by this outburst, though it wasn't the first. They tended to overlook the fact that Ron, though rather lazy and sometimes a bit slow, actually had a brain that worked quite well. Then they graciously bowed their heads in shame and apologized.

"Look, I don't want to hear your 'Sorrys'. I just want a little respect." Ron must have seen that Harry and Hermione were properly ashamed, because he shrugged it off and continued with his original comment. "As I was saying, '_So continue onward, through the lace,' _means spider webs."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Hermione asked politely.

"When I had detention with Snape once, I had to reorganize that student ingredients cabinet," Ron explained. "I got really confused at one point, because one label said '_Lacewings_' and the other said _'lace_.' I sat there for a full ten minutes debating before I finally assumed that Snape had gotten lazy and labeled one incompletely. So I put them together. Never a good idea, mind you. When the git came to check it over, he assigned me another detention. He _kindly_ explained to me that lacewings were a type of insect, and that lace was the classic term for spider webs. Then he docked me fifty points for being a 'dim-witted imbecile' and told me that I had ruined the sixth years chances at making their potions proficiently." Ron rolled his eyes. "Like they could anyway, with that greasy slime ball around."

Harry was impressed, to say the least. That detention had to have occurred at least two years ago, since they hadn't had Snape for potions last year, and their seventh year was already almost up. Ron was the type that couldn't remember what he ate for breakfast – even ten minutes after he'd eaten it – so it wasn't all that surprising that Harry was, well, surprised.

"That settles it, then," Harry said, and Ron smiled at him gratefully. "'Lace' means spider webs. What's next?"

"Let's see," said Hermione, scanning the parchment. "'_It's warm like the comfort of a mother's womb. But always be wary, lest it become your tomb.'"_

"Okay, so it's warm in there," Harry provided.

"_'Comfort of a mother's womb,'_" Hermione repeated. "That seems to mean a feeling of security, more than just temperature."

"So You-Know-Who will lead us into a false sense of security, because it could be a trap," Ron concluded.

"Yes, that's it," said Hermione with a very final tone. "We've solved the riddle."

"Actually, I don't think that _is_ it," Harry said, taking the parchment from Hermione and rereading the last two lines. "What if it means both a trap _and_ warning for it. It says it will be warm at first, like a mother's womb, but then it goes on talking about a tomb. Tombs are known to be deep, dark, and cold. What if he's warning us that the trap will come through a temperature drop?"

"You mean Voldemort is planning on freezing us out to prevent us from getting the Horcrux?" Hermione asked curiously, clearly pondering the idea.

"No, it means that we'll know the trap is being initiated when it gets cold," said Harry. "_'But be wary_,' - watch out for a drop in temperature."

"That makes sense," said Ron. "Perfect sense."

"Yes, but would he really be able to put double meanings into every line?" Hermione asked dubiously. "Professor Snape is very clever, but-"

"Snape is genius, whether we like it or not," Ron interrupted through gritted teeth. "And he would do his best to give us every warning possible, if he's to be trusted."

"We can trust him," Harry said assuringly.

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "but can we trust our own judgment? I know it's unlikely there's another meaning to this, but what if our solutions are incorrect? That could be a death wish. We need some way to confirm that this is right."

Harry and Ron nodded in agreement. They all fell silent as they pondered exactly who could help them with this. _Snape_, Harry thought in annoyance. _Or Dumbledore. Too bad neither of them are available at the moment._

_Yes, one of them is available,_ a voice in his head whispered.

_Who, Snape? Yeah, I'll bet he's hiding up in my dormitory right now_, Harry thought sarcastically.

_No, Dumbledore._

_He's dead._

And then suddenly another thought came unbidden into his head.

"_You will find that I will have only _truly_ left this school when none here are faithful to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."_

_That's it!_ Harry exclaimed, though in his head or aloud, he didn't know. But he did know that he had immediately stood up and started walking to the portrait hole without explanation to his friends.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked, standing after him.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione inquired with concern.

Harry waved to show that everything was fine and called, "I'll be back in a little while!" before jumping out of the portrait hole.


	18. Stubborn Ginny

**A/N: **Look at that! I updated AGAIN when I said I would. Go me! Woohoo!

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**This chapter is dedicated to Jimmy Jaguar, for reasons that he ought to understand when he reads this chapter, and for being the best pen pal (is that what you call it even if we never use pens?) ever! There's really only one line that you'd care about, and the chapter kinda sucks otherwise, but hey, doesn't this make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? **

**Anyway, on with the show!**

Chapter Eighteen

Stubborn Ginny

Harry rushed down the corridor, chiding himself for not seeing the obvious before.

_I could have saved myself from so much trouble, so much pain_, Harry thought, remembering when he had successfully destroyed the first Horcrux and had been infected with Black Powder .

He was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly passed up the stone gargoyle that lead to Professor McGonagall's office. He fumbled with the password, which turned out to be "cat eyes," and rushed up the stone steps. Raising his fist, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a surprised voice.

Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside the familiar office, just as he had earlier in the year and so many other times before.

"Potter, it's awfully early. You should be in your dor-dor-dormitory!" said McGonagall, letting out a very uncharacteristic yawn.

Startled, Harry checked his watch. Six in the morning. What time had he gotten up in the first place?

McGonagall must have seen his surprised and apologetic look, because her face softened. "It's quite all right, Mr. Potter. Now, what would you like to speak to me about?"

Harry hesitated before speaking. "Er... you see, Professor... I sort of wanted to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

McGonagall stared at Harry as if he had finally gone insane just as Rita Skeeter had predicted.

"No!" Harry said quickly. "No, I don't mean in person. I mean his portrait."

"Oh," said McGonagall, looking quite relieved. "Oh yes, of course." She turned around to look at the wall behind the desk. "Albus?"

"Yes, Minerva, I'm awake."

Harry's breath caught in his throat at hearing Dumbledore's voice. For a moment he felt like he was back in sixth year, before any of the events of... that night... occurred. Then he snapped back into reality upon hearing his name.

"Harry, I thought I might be seeing you," said Dumbledore, nodding. He smiled, his eyes twinkling even in the two dimensional perspective.

Harry smiled weakly and opened his mouth to speak when he realized that Professor McGonagall was still in the room. As soon as he registered it, Dumbledore spoke.

"Minerva, if you would please give us some time."

McGonagall looked skeptical at first, but then she nodded and stepped out of the office. Dumbledore turned to Harry from his frame and smiled.

"Have a seat," he said pleasantly. Harry nodded numbly and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Now, I imagine this is a bit uncomfortable for you."

All Harry could think was _"Duh! You're dead!"_ but he thought it would be more polite to keep his mouth shut and simply nod.

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, well that is understandable. I assure you, I have quite the capable memory and have basically the same tendencies, except that I can't eat any lemon drops due to obvious reasons."

Harry couldn't help but smile at that and felt himself become a bit more comfortable.

"I am not, however, alive and I must abide by the rules that all portraits have." Harry nodded and Dumbledore continued. "So, you may ask questions, but I will not necessarily be able to answer."

Harry sighed. He knew it couldn't always be easy, but he was hoping that just this once...

"So, I imagine Severus gave you his clue to a Horcrux."

At this, Harry felt his anger suddenly flare up. "You told me that this was to be kept as secret as possible."

"I did," said Dumbledore, nodding from his frame.

"Then why did _Snape_ know?" Harry asked exasperatedly. "How could you have trusted him?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I cannot answer that."

Harry bit his lip to prevent from lashing out. Remembering what he was here for, he took a deep breath, and told Dumbledore the riddle.

"... So Ron, Hermione, and I guessed that it meant that at the height of the full moon at the split in the Greek river, the Horcrux lies in darkness," Harry said quickly. He paused to look for some sort of approval. Dumbledore nodded, so he continued. "There's going to be spiderwebs that will let us know that we are on the right track, and very likely a trap." Harry looked up to see Dumbledore smiling slightly. "So... is that right?"

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling more than the night sky. "I cannot answer that." Yet Harry realized that he just had.

"Is there anything you can tell us that will help us through this? Preferably without, er, casualties?" Harry shivered at the thought.

Dumbledore paused for a moment. "The best advice I can give you is to visit an old friend you know as Remus Lupin."

"Lupin?" Harry asked incredulously. "He knows about the Horcruxes?"

"No, but he will be able to help you much more than I can," said Dumbledore, shifting in his two-dimensional armchair.

"How?" Harry asked in confusion. "If he doesn't know about the Horcruxes. I can't tell him because you told me not to."

"Some secrets," said Dumbledore, "are okay to tell when keeping the secret threatens your safety."

Harry's eyes widened. "You mean I'm in more danger than I already was? Does Voldemort know what we're doing?"

Dumbledore smiled. "No, from what I've heard, Tom knows nothing of what you have done in the past year. However, his traps are very intuitive, and you will need help in order to accomplish this next task unharmed."

The tone in Dumbledore's voice let Harry know that the conversation was finished, that he had nothing more to tell. Harry sighed and stood up, allowing the old memories from this office to flood him once again before muttering, "Thanks, Professor" and walking out the door.

888888888888

"What do you mean, you're going to Grimmauld Place?"

Harry sighed and sank down onto his four poster, putting on a sock. He had expected this. "Look Ginny, I have some things I need to discuss with Lupin, all right?" He stopped for a moment as a sudden thought occurred to him. "What are you doing in my dormitory, anyway? You should be down at breakfast."

Ginny placed her hands on her hips and looked at him sternly. "I happen to want to be with you, _Professor_ Potter. And why can't you use your two-way mirror?" she asked.

"Because," Harry explained patiently while grabbing the invisibility cloak from his trunk, "I need to talk to him in private without any chance of anyone listening in."

Ginny bit her lip, looking worried and distracted about something.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Harry asked concernedly.

She looked away and started snapping her fingers distractedly, something Harry knew she only did when she was nervous – which didn't happen very often. Brow furrowed, Harry stood up and walked over to her, brushing a stray hair out of her eyes. "Ginny?"

Ginny took a deep breath and looked up at Harry. "This is about the Horcruxes, isn't it?"

Startled, Harry's eyes widened and he stepped back. "How do you know about that?"

She sighed and walked over to his bed, sitting down. Harry walked over and sat across from her on Ron's bed, waiting for a reply.

"Do you remember when you first started getting visions a lot?" she asked, gripping the edge of the bed.

Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said, wishing she would just get to the point.

"Well," she said shakily, "that evening, the night before the start of second term, do you remember how oddly Hermione was acting?"

Harry sat in stunned silence, unable to speak. _How...?_

Ginny took another deep breath and began to explain. "That day we went in early from playing in the snow. I had been bothering Hermione quite a lot about what you three had been doing, like the whole Black Powder incident."

Harry nodded. He had suspected that.

"Well, I decided to go up to Ron's room to see if I could figure anything out about what you'd been doing, and Hermione followed me up, trying to stop me. She kept nagging me and worrying, saying that you would come in at any time. Of course, I ignored her. But Hermione is almost always right."

Again, Harry nodded. There were countless times when Hermione was proven right, even when Harry had been absolutely certain she was wrong. From first Year with Snape's innocence about the Sorcerer's Stone, to seventh year with the black powder, and everything in between.

"So, when we heard you two coming up the stairs, Hermione went out to distract you long enough so that I could hide. I slid under Ron's bed just in time for you two to come in. Then you started talking about visions and Horcruxes, and I was so confused. When you and Ron finally fell asleep, I quickly slipped out and went back to my room where Hermione was waiting. I demanded that she tell me everything, seeing as I already knew the basics. She finally caved at about two in the morning." She took a deep breath. "I know about everything, Harry. The prophecy. Horcruxes. Everything."

Swearing, Harry muttered under his breath, "Great going, Hermione."

Ginny gave him a stern look. "I would have found out one way or another, Harry. Don't jump on her back."

Leaning back so he was laying on Ron's bed, Harry rubbed his eyes wearily. This was not what he wanted. He wanted Ginny to be blissfully unaware, to not have the responsibility of knowing what he knew. Now she was really in danger.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, and he jumped out of his skin when he realized she was now sitting next to him. "Harry, is that why you're going to visit Lupin? Because of the Horcruxes?"

_Well, there's no going back now,_ Harry thought dolefully.

"Yes, Ginny, I'm going to see Lupin because of the Horcruxes."

Ginny looked suddenly hurt and angry. "How long has Lupin known about them?"

Harry was terribly confused by her reaction. "No, he doesn't-" Then he realized why she was acting this way. He suddenly sat up and looked at her. "Ginny, the only people I ever told about this were Ron and Hermione, and that's because Dumbledore told me to. Did you think this entire time that I didn't trust you with this?"

Now it was Ginny's turn to be shocked beyond speech. She sat there silently for a minute, wide-eyed. Then she slowly nodded.

"Ginny, you know I trust you more than anything," Harry said, feeling incredibly guilty. "I just didn't want to put you in more danger than you already were."

Ginny glared at him. "So it's better for me to live in ignorance? Harry, you know what I'm like! I'm almost as bad as you with your 'saving people thing.' I might have run after you, and I'm not saying I'm not capable or anything, but I could have gotten seriously hurt that way as well. No matter what, I'm in danger, Harry. I'd rather be by your side than be a bloody damsel in distress, waiting for her prince charming to come back from his noble crusade."

Harry gave her a very apologetic look before he slowly gave her a half smile, smirking slightly.

"What?" she asked, obviously annoyed that he didn't seem to be taking her seriously.

"You think I'm charming?" he asked, breaking out into a grin.

Ginny's eyes bugged out at Harry saying something so unlike him before she laughed and smacked him on the arm. "You've been hanging around with me too much."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Would you like me to stop?"

"No!" she said quickly, and Harry laughed at the desperation in her voice.

"Good, because I'd sure miss snogging you senseless in my office," he said, smirking again.

"You know, if someone were listening in on this conversation right now, they might get the wrong idea," said Ginny, laughing.

"Yes, well I've probably had worse rumors about me," Harry said, standing up.

"Yes, but I wasn't dragged into those," Ginny said, standing as well. "You're going to make me look a like a scarlet woman. Are you willing to sacrifice my reputation?" she looked nonindulgent, but the corner of her mouth twitched and gave her away.

Harry laughed. "What reputation?"

"Oh, you're gonna get it, Potter," said Ginny, before running up and tackling him to the ground. She tried to pin him down, but sometimes being a girl had its disadvantages, for she just didn't match Harry in strength and speed. He flipped her over so he was pinning her arms down. Ginny tried to fight back, but she was laughing too hard.

"Now, is that any way to treat your boyfriend?" Harry asked, leaning forward so she'd focus on him.

"Perhaps not," she admitted. "But this is." Then she lifted her head and kissed him, Harry still pinning her to the ground.

And that was the compromising position that Ron found them in.

"Harry, you weren't at breakfast, so Hermione sent me up here to-" Ron stopped mid sentence, not even all the way in the door, and spotted them on the floor. As quickly as Harry and Ginny disentangled themselves, they weren't quick enough. Ron suddenly looked like he was about to breath fire.

"Well, now I see why you two skipped breakfast."

"Ron, it's not like that-"

"Oh?" Ron asked mockingly. "And what _is_ it like?"

"Look, Ron, Ginny and I were just talking-"

"Sure looked like a bit more then talking," Ron replied angrily.

Ginny appeared to have enough of this, because she suddenly looked just as angry as Ron.

"It doesn't matter what you _thought_ it looked like. The fact is, I was talking to Harry about the Horcruxes, and we got a bit distracted."

Ron snorted. "I'll say." Then his eyes widened. "Did you say Horcruxes?"

Harry nodded. "That's why we were up here. We were sorting out a few... complications."

Ron looked like a fish out of water and made no response. Harry shook his head.

"Look Ron, we were just about to leave, really. I won't be around today because I've got to talk to Lupin, so you can talk to Ginny about this when I'm gone." He gathered up his invisibility cloak and started walking toward the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ginny called from behind him.

"Ginny, we've been over this," said Harry, reaching for the door handle. "I'm going to Grimmauld Place."

Ginny stepped forward and grabbed the door. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not," Harry and Ron both said together.

"Yes, I am," Ginny said determinedly. "Look, it's a Saturday. No one will notice that I'm gone."

"I don't have time to deal with this," said Harry, jerking open the door. "Ron, keep her here."

He walked quickly down the stairs and tried to ignore the sounds of what sounded like a possible struggle and lots of shouting. He went straight to McGonagall's office and knocked on the door at the top of the staircase.

"Come in," came the brisk voice.

Harry pushed open the door and stepped in quickly.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall said in surprise. "Twice in one day. Would you like me to step outside so you and Albus can talk?" She started heading for the door.

"No, I'm not here for that," Harry said quickly, trying to stop her from going out the door.

"Then what can I help you with?" McGonagall asked austerely.

"Er..." Harry stumbled. He never enjoyed being put on the spot, no matter how many opportunities he'd had to get used to it. "Your fire is connected directly to Grimmauld Place, right?"

McGonagall nodded. "That is correct."

"Well, I was wondering if I could use it to go there," Harry said awkwardly. "I sort of need to talk to Remus Lupin."

McGonagall nodded. "If you must. Do you wish to go to Grimmauld place by yourself?" she asked.

Harry started to nod when the door suddenly opened.

"I need to go, too!" said Ginny, breathing heavily.

Harry's jaw dropped. "Ginny, how did you-?"

"Miss Weasley, you wish to accompany Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow. Ginny nodded and swallowed heavily.

"Yes, Professor."

"No, Professor," Harry said quickly. "She was just leaving." He started to push her out the door when Ginny turned around and waved her wand threateningly.

"Harry, I love you," Ginny whispered, "but I am going there with you whether you like it or not. I already took care of Ron. Do you need a good hexing?"

Harry swore. "Blast it, Ginny!" he hissed. "It's not like I'm going somewhere dangerous! I'll be back in a few hours."

"All the more reason for me to come," she replied with a smirk.

Harry started to retort when McGonagall spoke up.

"Mr. Potter, I do not allow this sort of thing to go on in my office. I'm quite busy if you hadn't noticed," she said sternly. "I also know that Miss Weasley will never back down, something you ought to have learned by now, so why don't you just let her go with you and save us all the trouble."

Harry started to argue, but he knew it was pointless, so he let out his breath, sagged his shoulders, and nodded.

Ginny knew better than to push him any further, and instead kissed him on the cheek and stepped forward to take a pinch of the Floo Powder McGonagall had offered them. She went over to the fireplace, threw the powder in and stepped into the flames. She quickly shouted, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!" and disappeared from view.

McGonagall smiled pityingly. "Quite a catch you have there. She's very... strong-minded."

"She's stubborn, is what she is," Harry growled, taking a pinch of the powder himself. He walked over to the fireplace, threw his powder in to the fire and walked in, bellowing, "Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" Before the ash and green flames covered his vision, he saw Albus Dumbledore smiling after him from his portrait behind the desk.


	19. The Mystery Horcrux

Chapter 19

The Mystery Horcrux

The whirl of ash and flame crossed his eyes for a brief moment before he clamped his eyes shut and waited for it to end. Sooner than he expected, he found himself on the floor of the dark kitchen he knew and hated all too well.

"Harry, Ginny, what are you doing here?"

Harry looked up from brushing the dust off him to see a bewildered Lupin coming through the door. Harry stood up straight and glanced at Ginny.

"Er, Remus? We need to talk to you," Harry said awkwardly. It was odd to call his old professor by his first name, even if he was his dad's best friend.

"What is it, Harry?" Lupin asked with genuine concern. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Ginny said. "Everyone is fine. We just need to talk to you about something very important."

Lupin turned to Harry. "What is it?"

Harry sighed, trying to relieve his nervousness. "Would you… sit down please?"

Lupin raised an eyebrow and looked at him curiously as they all sat down at the huge kitchen table. Ginny and Harry joined him, ignoring the scrape of the chair legs on the floor as they plunked down into their seats.

"So," said Lupin, "what is it?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I know how to kill Voldemort."

Lupin just stared for a moment before breathing a small sigh of relief. "Oh, is that all? I thought you were going to tell me Ginny was pregnant."

Shocked that Lupin would ever think such a thing, Harry blushed crimson. "Remus… you… you know we would never… not unless we were married…"

"_Anyway_," said Ginny with annoyance, "that's not it. In case you didn't hear him, he knows how to destroy Voldemort."

"No, I heard you," said Lupin quickly, "but… how?"

"Er… I can't tell you," Harry said with a wince, knowing how frustrating this must be for Lupin. "Not much, at least."

Lupin set his elbows heavily on the table and put his head in his hands. After a heavy sigh and a few moments silence, he spoke.

"So what _can_ you tell me?"

Harry couldn't help but feel incredible gratitude toward his father's friend. In so few words, Lupin told Harry that he trusted him and wanted to help. In the corner of his eye he saw Ginny smiling slightly and he knew she had interpreted Lupin's question in the same way.

"Well," said Harry, "Voldemort has gone to great lengths to cheat death, but he is not unstoppable. me, Ron, Hermione have been… working on killing him for a while now. Chipping away at his defenses."

Lupin nodded confusedly and turned to Ginny. "What have you been doing, then? Not that I want you to be involved..."

"Unfortunately, Harry's been feeling the same way," said Ginny, glaring at Harry. "I found out about what he was doing through other means and have been left behind for all his adventures."

Harry, though he loved Ginny, couldn't help but be annoyed with her at the moment. "I was _trying_ to keep you safe!"

"And what about me?" Ginny shouted right back at him. "How am I supposed to keep _you_ safe?"

Harry's mouth dropped open. Was Ginny… _scared?_

"You go and practically get yourself killed all the time, and leave me there to worry and seethe, and you expect me to just take it?"

_Yep_, Harry thought._ She's definitely scared._ How could he have been so naïve? All those times she was around, she wasn't being clingy or annoying, but watching out for him. _Now that wouldn't do, _he thought.

"Look, Ginny, I'm sorry. But you know how it is for me. I don't have much choice."

"You _always_ have a choice Harry," Ginny said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Always."

Harry stared at her for several moments, realizing exactly how true her statement was. All the while, Ginny stared right back, waiting for him to challenge her. Then Lupin cleared his throat.

"Harry, you have yet to explain what exactly you're doing here," he said, trying to keep the conversation going.

Harry turned back to Lupin and gave him a once over. He wanted to make sure that he could trust the man completely. Lupin looked right back at him, somewhat nervously, but still with the air of a man wise beyond his years. Harry had to admit, Dumbledore's portrait couldn't have chosen a better man.

Harry carefully took out a folded piece of parchment that contained a copy of Snape's riddle, as well as a written translation of what he, Ron, and Hermione had come up with. Folding back the riddle part, he handed Lupin the translation across the table. Lupin gave Harry one last curious look before he took the parchment and scanned it. His eyes widened and he paled slightly almost immediately, and his brows furrowed not much later. He seemed to read it a few times before he set the parchment back down in the middle of the table and looked back up at Harry and Ginny.

After a deafening silence, Harry spoke. "So, er, do you know anything about… this?"

Lupin hesitated for a moment – just a moment – but it was enough to tell Harry and Ginny that he indeed had something to say.

"Remus?" Ginny asked. "Is there something important that we need to know?"

Sighing, Lupin spoke. "I am familiar with this place," he said, pointing to the second line on the parchment. "The Greek River. I go there… once a month."

Harry looked at him quizzically, not knowing what he meant. He even opened his mouth to ask Lupin to specify, but a glance at Ginny, who had gone deathly pale, and it donned on him.

Werewolves.

Harry was in a state of shock as Lupin cleared his throat nervously. "So, what are you planning on doing? And what's a Horcrux?"

"Well", Harry explained quietly, "We need to go to this place and… er… explore a bit. I can't tell you what a Horcrux is though."

Lupin bit his lip. "Harry, I know you're of age, but I really don't want you to do this."

"I have to," Harry said grimly. He should have known better as Ginny spoke up.

"Harry, you know that's not true. You have to live your life in the here and now and not wait for an uncontrollable event to happen. Otherwise you'll always be waiting!"

Harry didn't want to give in so easily, though he knew that Ginny was absolutely right. Then he remembered that Dumbledore too had said that he always had a choice. But Harry had made his choice.

"It's not that I _have_ to," he clarified. "But I want to. I want to end this."

Sighing, Lupin nodded. "I guess I can honor that. But you do realize, you will be sneaking right into the heart of the werewolves' camp?"

Harry nodded and Ginny took his hand and squeezed it nervously. Rubbing his eyes, Lupin nodded himself. "Well, I guess we'll need to-"

_Ding. Ding. Ding._

They all whipped their heads around in alarm toward the kitchen door, completely taken by surprise. Soon Mrs. Black's portrait started to scream her head off, so Lupin quickly jumped up.

"Stay here. I'll get the door."

He walked briskly to the door and slammed it behind him. Harry and Ginny sat in silence for a long time, Harry thinking hard about what he would have to do to prepare for infiltrating the werewolf camp.

"Harry?" Ginny whispered quietly. "Harry, have you figured out what the… what you're looking for is?"

Ripped from his thoughts, Harry looked at Ginny. "What do you mean?" he asked lamely.

"What I mean to say is, do you know what the Horcrux is? Do you know what you're looking for?"

"Oh," said Harry, tilting his head in thought. He picked up the paper from the table and read over it again, even though he had it thoroughly memorized by now. "Well, it doesn't really say here in our translations."

Ginny took the piece of paper from his hand and looked at the side with the actual riddle on it. "Well," she said, reading it carefully, "it talks here about '_the heart of darkness'_..."

"Which is the Horcrux," Harry said.

"Yes," Ginny replied patiently. "But I've been thinking about it since Hermione showed me a copy, and I think it's more than that."

Ginny looked up at him, and Harry stared at her blankly, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, what was Voldemort trying to collect to make into Horcruxes?" she asked.

"Er… things that belonged to the Hogwarts founders?" Harry answered unsurely.

"Right. Now, I know you went to Muggle primary school, and I've taken Muggle Studies, so we both know about the Muggle legends about medieval times, correct?"

"Right…" Harry said slowly. "But they were correct for the most part. Like the whole bit about Merlin."

"Exactly," Ginny said with a smile. "Do you know much about Richard, king of the Britains?"

Nodding, Harry said "Yeah, he went on a bunch of crusades and he was known as Richard the Lion Heart."

"Yes!" said Ginny excitedly. "The _Lion Heart._ Did you know that Richard was actually a direct descendant of Godric Gryffindor?"

"He was?" Harry asked. "Wouldn't he have used magic in the crusades, then?"

Ginny smirked. "He would have, but he was a squib. He was a little sore about that. So when he went the Arabs started to reveal their magic to Muggles, he didn't want it to get out that he was a weak little squib king, so he started the crusades, saying it was in the name of God and all that rubbish," Ginny laughed. "But anyway, he was known as the Lion Heart because he was so fierce in his battles with the Arab Muggles. He really was quite a nasty bloke, and he didn't have much mercy for someone who did things in the name of a merciful God."

Harry nodded, accepting all of this information and realizing how much sense it made. "So what does this have to do with the Horcrux?"

"Dumbledore told you that there were no known artifacts of Ravenclaw's right?" Ginny asked and waited for Harry to nod before continuing. "And there's nothing of Gryffindor's either, right?"

To that Harry shook his head. "No, there's the sword I killed the basilisk with."

"Oh, right," said Ginny quickly. "But Voldemort doesn't know about that. So there's nothing of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's in Voldemort's hands that we know of. But there _is_ a known descendant of Gryffindor who is guaranteed to have artifacts lying around."

Harry's eyes widened. "Ginny, you're a genius!"

Ginny blew on her knuckles and shined them on her shirt proudly. "I know," she said with a smirk.

"Wait, though," said Harry. "How do we know what it is, and how is it going to help us?"

Ginny sighed. "You've spent way too much time with Ron. A waste of a great mind." Harry didn't even have enough time to be insulted by this comment as she continued. "We won't know what the Horcrux is exactly, but by knowing as much as we can, we can recognize it and destroy it rather than having you try to blow up a random dirt clod or something."

Harry was just about to speak up and defend himself against such rude insults on her part, but at that point Lupin came in, looking rather ruffled.

"Sorry about the wait," said Lupin. "Tonks was at the door and we were… distracted. She had to pick up something and then she left." Ignoring the slightly amused and knowing looks Harry and Ginny were giving him, he walked back to the table and sat down. After a few moments of silence while they all reregistered the seriousness of the situation before them, Lupin spoke.

"So," he said grimly. "What do you need me to do?"

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The crackle of the bushes was deafening in Harry's ears and he hissed at Ron to keep quiet, all the while trying to silently hold the invisibility cloak over their huddled forms.

It had been a long week before the full moon of preparation. Lupin told them everything they needed to know about werewolves, from the distance of their hearing to their sleeping habits. He and Ron listened avidly while Hermione researched other things (as she already knew all about werewolves). They went over many defensive spells, too, which Hermione and Ginny joined in on as well.

At the thought of Ginny, Harry quickly looked over his shoulder to where she and Hermione lay naught but five feet away. They had borrowed Moody's invisibility cloak, so he couldn't' see them.

"Do you think she's okay?" he asked Ron as quietly as possible.

"For the millionth ruddy time, she's fine!" Ron hissed in annoyance. "She can take care of herself, and Hermione is with her. If you were going to worry like this, why did you bring her?"

Harry sighed. "Because she's too blasted stubborn," he said, remembering the evening they had come home from Grimmauld Place.

"_Ginny, I'm not changing my mind. You're _not going_!" Harry said determinedly from his office chair._

_Ginny's eyes flashed with anger and she slammed her hands on the desk, leaning across it so Harry could see her very clearly, glasses or no._

"_And I'm not changing _my_ mind, Harry. I'm going and you can't stop me."_

_Standing in frustration, Harry shouted, "Why is it so important to you? You can either stay here and be safe or you can come along and be in danger, but it doesn't change anything else!"_

"_It does!" she shouted even louder, and Harry was glad he had placed an imperturbable charm on the door. "What if you're on the verge of death and you need someone?"_

"_Ron and Hermione will be there! I'll be fine!" he bellowed, though he wasn't stating the truth entirely. The likelihood that he would come out of everything unscathed was nonexistent._

"_Harry, please," Ginny whispered, startling him with her lowered voice. "Please let me go."_

_Coming around the desk, Harry took Ginny's hand and faced her before he whispered, "why?"_

"_Because I can't watch you go off and wonder all day every day whether I could have helped in some way. Whether things could have been different." One lone tear rolled down her cheek to show Harry exactly how serious she was. "I couldn't bear that."_

_They stared into each other's eyes for several long moments. Harry understood exactly what she felt like, and that's why he could not, in good conscience, say no._

Harry came back to reality as Ron nudged him slightly.

"Mate, the sun is down."

Harry nodded, eying the sky above. They had been waiting there since the night before, making sure to get there before the werewolves started to gather. They were all exhausted, but alert enough from adrenaline to be ready when the time came.

There was a loud rustling up ahead about ten yards, and both Harry and Ron quickly focused their wands on the source of the sound. Harry could barely hear Hermione and Ginny do the same.

The rustling became steadily louder and Harry was afraid whatever it was it would step on them when two men emerged.

"I'm telling you, Dreg, we should be at that meeting!" the taller man said with urgency.

"I dunno, Rusty. Maybe it's just a waste of time. I mean, how much can they say? We have to transform in…" the shorter man checked his watch, "thirty minutes if Will's moon charts are correct."

"Look, Dreg, what if it is important, eh? What then? What if _Greyback_ shows up? I don't care what they say. That dog's bite is way worse than his bark."

The shorter man shrugged in defeat. "I suppose you're right," he said. "But we're gonna be late if we don't get there soon."

The two men hurried away, back the way they had come, and in the darkness Harry nodded to Ron.

"Let's go," he whispered, just loud enough for his voice to carry to Hermione and Ginny.

They quickly got up grouped together quietly. "Hermione, the disillusionment charm, please."

Hermione, who's face was smudged with a bit of dirt from lying on the ground for so long, quickly tapped each of their heads in turn with her wand and watched as they began to blend with their surroundings. Harry shuddered at the feeling of an egg cracking on his head and it's contents slowly leaking down his spine, but otherwise showed no emotion. Nor did the others.

"Okay," Harry whispered, taking on his commanding tone that he often used during Quidditch practice, "we need to head around to the cliff's face as quietly as possible. Obviously we can't see each other, so I have the map Remus made us that will show me where you are. You all know where to go, anyway, to try to follow me as best you can but you can get there yourselves. Just don't get lost and don't get caught, got it?"

A slight shift in three different places showed him that all three were nodding. Nodding himself, he pulled out his map, recalling how it had come to be.

"_This plan won't work," said Hermione plainly._

"_And why not?" Harry asked, feeling insulted that all of his work was not appreciated._

"_How are we supposed to keep track of each other when we're either invisible or disillusioned the whole time? We can't make ourselves in any way recognizable, because then the werewolves will see us. But if we leave ourselves completely invisible, we'll get lost and the plan won't work. We need a way to keep tabs on each other."_

_They all sat in silence for a moment, thinking. Then Ron spoke, somewhat unsurely. _

"_What about a map?"_

_Hermione rolled her eyes. "A map can't tell you where moving things are, Ron."_

_Ron glared at her. "I know for sure of one that can. The Marauders Map." He turned to Harry. "Can we ask Lupin to make one of the area, so that we know where everything and everyone are at all times?"_

_Harry's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Yeah, that just might work!"_

Lupin had jumped to the chance, since he felt he couldn't help them much during the actual Horcrux hunt unless they wanted to join him once a month for the rest of their lives. It turned out they'd needed to each recite a complicated spell and use a drop of their blood for the ink (something that Hermione thought was entirely too uncivilized and boyish). But Lupin had come through marvelously, and now Harry held a piece of parchment in his hand that gave him all the details of the land surrounding him.

As stealthily as possibly, Harry maneuvered around the camp toward the cliff face to the south, listening to the distant sounds of someone speaking to a large crowd.

"_We're going to need a distraction," said Harry, pacing in front of the Grimmauld Place kitchen fire. "Something to keep all the werewolves together and away from us when they transform."_

"_I can handle that," said Lupin grimly. "I will be in the camp anyway. I can call a meeting together, protesting against Voldemort or something. That always gathers a large audience."_

_Harry shook his head. "You're already doing so much. And what if a Death Eater shows up? You'll be number one on their hit list. We'll have to think of something else."_

"_Harry, I know you feel like you have to do everything yourself, that it's all your responsibility, but you can't protect everyone," said Lupin quietly, and Harry knew they were only saying this because they were in private. "Sirius' death wasn't your fault and you couldn't control it. Nor can you control the safety of everyone else. This is not just your fight."_

"_But…" Harry protested._

"_But nothing. You're not the only one who has lost people you love. In fact, there are a few of us who miss the same people ." Lupin's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "This is my fight too. Let me do this. For Lily and James."_

So there Lupin was, creating a big ruckus in front of all the werewolves. Harry shook his head sadly, hoping Lupin didn't get himself killed. He glanced at the map and saw that Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were all behind him, following closely. He looked ahead of him and his eyes, which were adjusted to the dark by now, saw the cliff wall just ahead. He walked quickly up to it and from there he could hear Lupin's words.

"Join me, and we will ensure our safety. With the help of Harry Potter and the followers of Dumbledore, we can beat Voldemort and earn our place in society!"

There was a great cheer that rang through the crowd, which Harry could barely see to the north. They all seemed to be enraptured by the meeting and paid no heed to what was behind them, which suited Harry just fine. He waited until he heard all three of his friends next to him before he spoke very quietly.

"All right. The full moon will rise above the trees in about two minutes, and according to Lupin, they stay far away from here. Either way, stay close to the cliff, double check your disillusionment charms, and don't make a sound. We have to walk to where this cliff meets the river. Are you ready?"

Again, he saw the space before him quiver in three different places, so he abruptly turned around and walked along the cliff face as quietly as possible, occasionally tripping and steadying himself on the wall to his left. He at least knew that Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were all behind him, because every time he stopped like that, Ginny crashed into him, and there was a very quiet "Ow!" from the three, and he almost smiled as he pictured the domino effect of it all.

Harry soon heard the quiet gurgling of the river up ahead. He quickly went to the water's edge and sat on a rock, leaning up against the cliff. His friends sat in various places nearby, and they had barely relaxed when they heard the first mournful howl.

"It's started," Ginny whispered from next to him, finding his hand and entwining it in her own.

Harry nodded and squeezed her hand, perhaps a bit harder than he had intended as several howls erupted from the camp. The four friends gathered in close and pressed themselves against the wall, keeping as silent as possible.

The hours ticked past. There were a few scares where a werewolf or two would come near them, mostly because of the smell, but Hermione would think quickly on her feet and transfigure a rock into a rabbit a good ways away or something. The night was long and Harry felt his eyelids drooping on occasion. But then he would hear something splash in the water, or a stick break, and he would snap back into focus. Finally, the moon reached what appeared to be its peak.

Carefully, Harry nudged Ginny to wake her, and then did the same with Ron and Hermione. Then he pointed up to the sky, making sure they all got the message that it was almost time. He saw them nod and then stood quietly, stretching his limbs and biting his cheek against the annoying pain from lack of circulation in his limbs. At a rustle from the bushes, he pulled on Ron's cloak, yanking him against the wall. They all stayed silent, sighing with relief as they saw it was just a deer. Then they stood up straight and gazed at the sky, waiting.

Harry thought that something had gone wrong after a while. It was entirely possible. However, he knew in his gut that that wasn't so, and was proven right when something happened.

As soon as the moon was directly above them, it seemed to shake slightly like a small object during an earthquake. Then it seemed to grow and elongate, until it seemed like a long stream of light, which slow filtered down until it was illuminating a single patch of the cave wall. Quickly, Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her toward the light. As soon as he stepped into it, his disillusionment charm wore away, so that he could plainly see not only himself, but also Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who were all in the light with him.

Acting fast, Harry jogged to the rock face and, not knowing what else to do, placed his hand on the rock.

Burning pain shot through his hand so suddenly, he thought he might crumple in agony. He was amazed that he didn't cry out or remove his hand. He knew that this was Voldemort's test. So he gritted his teeth and pushed his hand harder against the cave.

Suddenly, the wall seemed to move – as if he was pushing open an incredibly heavy door. Not knowing what else to do, he put both hands on and pushed with all his might, trying his best to ignore the pain that was now shooting through his other arm as well. It didn't seem to do much good for a moment, and then suddenly the wall was moving much faster. He looked to his left and saw Ron pushing against the door with all his might. He felt smiled inwardly and continued to push, noting that Hermione and Ginny had joined as well. Finally, the door opened.

Inside was an incredibly dark cave. So dark that even the light from the "moon pathway" did not penetrate past the entrance. There was no telling whether the cave went down, up, on forever, or stopped in two feet. Deciding there was nothing else to lose, Harry stepped inside.

At first nothing happened. It seemed to simply be an oddly warm dark cave. He turned to look back at the others, but it appeared they couldn't see him, it was so dark. They were staring blindly just past him. Deciding they'd best get in before they were seen, he reached a hand out of the cave to motion them inside. Big mistake.

A horrid high pitched screeching met Harry's ears, higher than he thought physically possible. He immediately pulled back his had to cover his ears, but it didn't block the sound. It seemed to be so piercing that it resonated through him as well as about him.

This would not have been so bad, had he not been trying to keep as silent as possible. The sound attracted every werewolf in the vicinity, and they were slowly emerging from the forest to stalk their prey, yellow eyes fixed upon Harry' friends, licking their teeth disgustingly.

"Quick, get in here!" Harry yelled, reaching out and yanking Hermione in. Ron and Ginny ran inside as well.

"_Lumos!"_ Ron said frantically above the screeching sound. Nothing happened.

"Well, at least we're in the dark," said Harry, sitting back and trying to get his heart rate to normalize.

"_No_, Harry!" Hermione hissed in panic. "Werewolves can see in the dark! They'll hunt us down and we won't be able to retaliate!"

Harry quickly forgot about his heart rate and began scrambling for the rock door, pushing against it with all his might. Ron joined him and they slowly made it inch toward the opening. It wasn't nearly fast enough, though, and Harry saw the werewolves' pace quicken.

"Hermione, Ginny, help!" Ron bellowed angrily, louder than was necessary, even with the screeching.

"We're trying to charm it so they can't get through!" Hermione shouted back.

"It's no use," Harry replied, yelling over the noise. "Voldemort will have thought of that. Just help us!"

He heard Hermione and Ginny scramble up behind him and felt the rock move more easily beneath his hands. They had it about half way across the opening when the first werewolf stepped into the light.

"Faster!" Ginny yelled, and Harry threw his entire weight against the rock, as did the other three. Straining his muscles near to the breaking point, he pushed with all his might. There was a loud bark and Harry saw a paw slide into the crack before the rock slammed shut, leaving them into complete darkness and silence. Harry dully noticed how oddly warm the cave was and that the screeching was gone while wiping the sweat away from his brow and catching his breath.

"So… what now?" Ginny asked quietly while they all waited for the ringing in their ears to ebb away.

"Er… let me think," said Harry. _"_ _'When the dark planet emerges and reaches it's peak,_ ' Okay, full moon path thing, got that."

"'_When the old Greek diverges, you will be able to seek,'_" Hermione intoned. "That's the river. We've gotten there."

"'_The heart of darkness lies in its place,'_" Ginny continued."So we're in the dark, and the Horcrux is here somewhere," she said sarcastically.

"'_So continue onward, through the lace,'" _Ron gulped. Harry couldn't see his facial expression, but if he could, he knew Ron would be ashy white and petrified.

"Well, here we go, then," Harry said. He stepped forward and nearly had a heart attack when his foot didn't touch solid ground. He wobbled dangerously before quickly putting his foot back in place.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Ginny asked, grabbing his arm. "Is there a drop off?"

Harry shook his head. It seemed like it, but somehow he knew it wasn't. "No, it's a trick floor," he replied. "I think we're going to have to run."

"Run? Why?" Hermione demanded fearfully.

"Have you ever run in the dark?" Harry asked. "It's terrifying. This floor disappears unless you hit it quickly."

"Sort of like cornstarch and water?" Ginny asked. She must have sensed Harry's queer look, because she explained, "Mum used to mix it up. It's corn starch and water, and you mix it up to make this goo. When you hit it fast, it's like hitting a solid object. But when you hit it slow, you sink."

"Yeah, it's quite fun to play with," Ron chimed in.

"Right," Harry said after a moment of confusion. "Sort of like cornstarch and water. Now let's go."

They grabbed hands and formed a line so they wouldn't get lost, and Harry led the way, keeping his wand steady out in front of him.

"Okay, we're going to run on three," Harry announced. "One. Two. Three!"

He took off, dragging the others behind him. He was afraid he'd hit something, and not hitting anything made him all the more worried of it. He ploughed on through for what seemed like ages, until finally, he felt something hit his face.

"Ugh, spider webs!" Ginny grunted, wriggling her hand around in his grasp in an attempt to wipe them away.

"Ron, hold on!" Hermione shouted.

"I'm trying!" Ron replied in a very high voice.

It felt like Harry was pushing webs away for hours, feeling many legs crawling all over him. Ignoring it, he ran on, hoping he didn't crash in to anything. The spider webs seemed to lessen in frequency after a while, but Harry kept on running. Well, he kept on running until he tripped, anyway.

He felt his foot slide on a rock and he tried desperately to regain his footing, but he instead ended up pulling Ginny down with him, who in turn pulled down Hermione, who pulled down Ron. As he fell through the air, he tried not to imagine falling forever in this dark cave. But that nightmare abruptly ended when he fell hard onto the ground. He sat there in shock for a moment before he started to laugh. It was just a little chuckle, but it was enough to lighten their spirits a little bit while he pulled himself to his feet.

"It seems we've made it through the spider webs," he said as Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stood as well. "And the trick floor."

"Is it just me, or is it getting colder in here?" Ginny asked worriedly, and Harry had to agree. He'd been running for ages, yet he was shivering. "Perhaps we should hurry this up a bit."

"The Horcrux should be around here somewhere," Hermione said cautiously. "But how are we supposed to see it?"

"You've got me," said Ron.

They were quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Hey Ron, try _Lumos_ again," said Ginny thoughtfully.

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Just do it."

Harry heard a rustle as Ron pulled out his wand. _"Lumos,"_ he whispered.

Suddenly a huge amount of light engulfed them, blinding Harry temporarily. Closing his eyes and waiting a moment, he cautiously opened them again.

They were in a room etched out of stone, lined with torches that were now burning, as if Ron's wand had lit them all. Looking behind him, Harry saw huge thick spider webs that he could not see past, as if they sucked the light into them. Looking back around, Harry saw in the very middle stood a gleaming shield with a lion on it, almost identical to the Gryffindor insignia, except that in the center of the lion there was a small heart symbol.

"Well, there it is," Ron said obviously

"Go on," said Ginny, grabbing Harry's hand.

"We're right behind you," said Hermione, taking Ron's.

Harry nodded and walked forward, seeing his breath in the light. The shield gleamed before his eyes. He reached out to grab it, but hesitated a moment, not able to shake the sudden feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. He felt Ron's hand on his shoulder, and Ginny's squeezing his fingers comfortingly, and he reached forward, grabbing the shield.

The effect was instantaneous. He felt like the shield was white hot, and it was searing through his skin. He gasped and closed his eyes, trying to focus on love. He remembered Lupin's words again from a week ago.

"_Let me do this. For Lily and James."_

Though he never knew his parents, he felt warmth for them swell within his heart. But unlike the heat in his hand, this was comforting and allowed him to forget his pain. Focusing on that warmth, he directed it toward the shield. It began to tremble within his grasp, first only slightly, but then it quickly became more fierce. He held on tight, used to this feeling by now. Then he felt an odd feeling in his abdomen. He almost ignored it as he felt the shield crack and energy waves burst from it. But even with energy blasting around him, he couldn't let go of the Horcrux. It was like his fingers were glued to it. And when he felt a force hit the bottoms of his feet that made him crumple to the ground, pulling Ron, Hermione, and Ginny along with him, he knew.

It was a portkey.

Right then nothing else mattered but leaving wherever he was as he heard a growl and looked up to see more than twenty werewolves surrounding him, snarling and baring their teeth. Harry started to back away, but three of them lunged forward. Harry rammed his eyes shut and brought an arm to protect his face, waiting for the teeth to pierce his skin. But nothing happened. He looked up to see all of the werewolves frozen in front of him, one just inches from his left arm. And just as he realized this, his scar exploded with pain.

"Well, well, well," cackled the skeletal figure walking through the frozen werewolves toward the huddled forms of Harry and his friends. "If it isn't the famous Harry Potter."


	20. The Final Hour

**A/N:** I know I promised that I would get this to you by Monday, and I'm sorry I didn't, especially leaving you with that cliffy, but here's the next chapter! It was ten pages on word, so it's quite a long chapter, though not quite as long as the last one. I hope you guys enjoy this. It hasn't been beta-ed, because I thought I ought to get it to you ASAP, so don't be too picky about errors. I hope you like it!

Chapter 20

The Final Hour

Lord Voldemort stepped forward, his black robes billowing out behind him in the midnight breeze. His wand dangled lazily from his skeletal fingers and his slitted red eyes gleamed as he stepped in front of Harry.

"It's so nice to see you, Harry," he hissed. Judging not only by his sibilant tones, but also by the confused and terrified looks of his friends, he assumed Voldemort was speaking in Parseltongue. The sharp pain in Harry's scar increased doubled as Voldemort took another step forward. "It's a lovely evening, don't you think? The beginning of a summer is a nice time of year. Don't you think it odd, Harry, that we always meet around this time?"

Harry didn't answer him, refusing to play along. Instead he tried to ignore the shivers running down his spine and bit the inside of his cheeks against the pain.

Voldemort laughed softly. "You are not very hospitable, Harry," he said in a sickeningly sweet voice that made Harry want to vomit. "Why don't you introduce me to your friends?" At Harry's glare, Voldemort cocked his head to the side in amusement. "No? Well, I think I can guess, anyway."

"Don't touch them!" Harry shouted, starting to stand.

With a flick of Voldemort's wand he came crashing to the ground. Manacles appeared on his wrists, pinning near his waist to the cliff wall several feet away from his friends. With a quick silencing charm, Harry was muted. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all looked like they would give anything to help him, but they knew they couldn't even if they tried.

"Relax, Harry, I won't hurt them," Voldemort said, his red eyes glinting. He stepped over to Ron, who was visibly shaking, and extended a hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Ron Weasley."

Ron's eyes widened and he looked back at Harry in fear. But then to Harry's surprise, he stopped shaking and instead glared defiantly at _You-Know-Who._

Voldemort's lips curled into a smile. "Right, I've heard you were always a bit of an uncivilized person. Perhaps your girlfriend will be more polite?" He walked up to Hermione, who had tears in her eyes, but her jaw was set. "Hermione Granger, I hear your cleverness rivals some of the smartest in Hogwarts history. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to how you got into this predicament?"

Hermione looked as if she'd been slapped in the face, and her jaw dropped. Ron pulled her closer.

Voldemort looked very satisfied and stepped in front of Ginny. "Miss Weasley, it's a pleasure."

Harry screamed and tried to pull away with all his might, but to no avail. No one could hear his stream of profanities or death threats. Ginny looked at Voldemort defiantly, but Harry new she must be scared. He certainly was.

"I hear you have a very strong relationship with Harry. It's rather touching," he said mockingly.

"And what would you know?" Ginny asked, looking directly into his eyes.

"Oh, quite a lot actually. Don't worry, Harry, I never found it out from you," Voldemort added, turning to watch Harry struggle with a twisted look of pleasure. "No, no, I found out from one of my more clever servants, Mr. Jeremiah Fust."

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny audibly gasped. Harry gasped too, but no one heard him. Voldemort looked as if Christmas had come early, seeing their reactions.

"Jeremiah, if you please…" Voldemort gestured to one of the hundred Death Eaters surrounding him, and a tall man stepped forward from behind the frozen werewolves and removed his mask.

"Jer, how could you?" Hermione asked, looking horribly betrayed.

Jer sneered at her, something Harry didn't think he had it in him to do, let alone work for Voldemort. "I've been playing along for a long time. Why do you think I was at your home for so long, if not to spy on Potter?"

"Oh, I don't know," Ron said, glaring at him with all his might, "maybe because you _wanted_ to be there?"

"You were Bill's best friend!" Ginny protested.

"_Were_ being the key word," Jer shot back.

"All right, I'm getting rather bored," said Voldemort lazily.

"I'm sorry, my lord," Jer said, bowing before him and walking back to his place.

"Well, that was a wonderful reunion, wouldn't you say?" Voldemort said conversationally. "But now we must move on to more important matters."

The shock of seeing Jeremiah had momentarily distracted Harry from the pain in his scar, but now it was back in full force as Voldemort stepped closer to him. Harry shrank back slightly, trying to make his head clear, and suddenly let out a gasp. It wasn't due to his scar pain, however. He had just felt a sharp jab in his leg that startled him. Voldemort seemed to think he had caused it and smiled evilly before turning to speak to his Death Eaters.

"This is the final hour, my friends," Voldemort announced, but Harry was barely listening. Though his hands were pinned to the wall, they were near his sides. He glanced at the ground, trying to figure out what had poked him. He moved a little bit to the left and a fold of his robes revealing the culprit. His wand.

"You all know the story of Harry Potter," Voldemort continued. "How he… _defeated_ me several times as a mere underage schoolboy. We have been waiting to prove this rumor untrue for far too long, my loyal Death Eaters." There was a murmur of assent in the crowd.

As he was talking, Harry wriggled as inconspicuously as he could, trying to get his wrist to slide a few more inches down so he could grab his wand from his pocket. So far he'd moved about a centimeter.

"These past two years we have been preparing," Voldemort continued. "Planning more carefully than ever before to find Harry Potter on his own away from Hogwarts, for the walls are too thick with the protection of old magic there. We had ample opportunity, yes, but there were too many complications with the old fool's organization, the Order of the Phoenix."

The Death Eaters hissed menacingly at the name, some growling and clenching their fists. Meanwhile, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny could do nothing but watch. Harry, however, had about an inch left before his middle finger would be able to touch his wand.

"But my plans succeeded, and we were able to escape detection and manage to enjoy ourselves a bit as well." At that, Voldemort turned to Harry, smiling malevolently. Fortunately, Harry had stopped wriggling and was now glaring at him.

"I noticed, Harry, that you got a few glimpses of our fun. We got quite bored on the run, you see, and we couldn't resist."

Harry wanted so badly to vomit – to get the horribly sickening feeling out of his stomach as he remembered all the visions he'd had to endure over the past year. All of the tortures and deaths that had happened only for Voldemort's enjoyment. Clenching is jaw tighter, Harry glared back at Voldemort, shooting all the hate for the man in front of him that he felt in that glare. Voldemort looked surprised and stepped back, and Harry noted that his friends gasped slightly, but Harry kept staring his enemy down. But Voldemort recovered quickly, turning to face his Death Eaters again.

_Come on!_ Harry thought, pushing his hand so far through the manacle that his wrist was now bleeding. But he had finally touched his wand. He carefully moved his fingers down it, trying to get a good grip.

"We have finally reached our hour of redemption. We have defeated Dumbledore. We have the upper hand. We have Harry Potter."

Voldemort suddenly turned around and point his wand at Harry's chest. "And now enough of the theatrics. So long, Harry Potter."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and he barely registered Ron and Ginny shouting furiously, and Hermione crying hysterically. His eyes were focused on Voldemort's wand tip as he said, _"Avada Kedav-"_

As if on cue, a huge succession of popping sound filled the air, so much that Harry thought someone had let off some Weasleys' Wildfire Whizbangs. He was so relieved that he wasn't dead that he thought he might be hallucinating as he saw what was before him.

There stood the Order of the Phoenix in all its glory.

Immediately a cacophony of sound reached their ears. All the Death Eaters began shooting curses around the still froze werewolves at the Order when they heard Voldemort's scream of rage. The Order gladly returned the favor, running about and dueling viciously. They were all there. Well, obviously not Lupin, because he was frozen somewhere in front of them in a less than friendly form. But Mad-eye, Tonks, Mundungus, Kingsley, Diggle, McGonagall, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Mr. Weasley, and many new recruits that Harry didn't know had arrived just in the nick of time.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Harry held his wand tight and turned it awkwardly so it was facing the manacle on his right arm. Closing his eyes and bracing himself, he thought, _Reducto! _The metal exploded apart, leaving several scratches all the way up his arm. Ignoring the annoying pain, he moved to do the same with his other arm just as Ginny ran over to him.

"Harry, are you alright?" she asked quickly, kneeling in front of him.

Harry nodded, still not able to speak. Ginny quickly pulled out her wand and muttered _"Finite incantatem." _The spell not only returned his voice, but it also made the other manacle disappear. Cursing himself for his own stupidity, he stood, pulling Ginny up with him. They had to duck slightly to avoid a stunner, and Harry whispered to her quickly.

"Ginny, you have to get out of here. It's way too dangerous. And please don't argue with me," he begged.

Ginny shook her head. "No way, Harry. We're in this together."

"Aww, how sweet," said a cold voice that Harry recognized immediately. He turned around to see Jeremiah Fust, the new Wormtail in Harry's mind. "Potter and Weasley, trying to keep each other safe. I'll take care of that."

"Jer, put that wand down," Ginny threatened, glaring menacingly.

"Sorry, but I don't take orders from Muggle loving imbeciles," Jeremiah replied coolly.

"No, of course not," Harry spat. "Instead you take orders from a cynical mad man who's bent on controlling and killing everything in sight."

Jeremiah didn't even reply, but quickly turned his wand on Harry and furiously shouted, _"Furunculous!"_

Harry didn't have time to react before Ginny shoved him to the ground effectively making him dodge the curse. Harry watched the jet of light hit the cliff and cause a few loose pebbles to fall.

"_Spetro Pipistrius!"_ Ginny shouted. Soon Jer was blasted with a really nasty Bat Bogey Hex, even for Ginny's standards. The power of it was so strong, Jer promptly slumped from where he was standing and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Ginny walked over and gave Harry a hand up while Harry looked at her quizzically. "That wasn't the incantation for a bat Bogey Hex," said Harry.

Ginny smiled triumphantly. "Yes it is, just a different one. I discovered that if I modify some curses into a variation of modern Italian, they are easier to say, therefore strengthening the curse."

"Ah, so that's your secret," Harry said thoughtfully. But he quickly went back into dueling mode as he looked at the madness of his surroundings.

"Let's go," Ginny said, and before Harry could protest she had jumped into the fight, with Harry quick to follow.

The world had gone mad. That was all there was to it. He dodged jets of green light that whizzed past his ears and stray stunners that singed the hair on the back of his neck. He barely dodged a Death eater's leg-locker before he got a good _tarantellegra_ in. Every spare breath he spouted out whatever spell came to mind and ran off before he ever saw the result of it. In the back of his mind he continued to hope that Ginny had got away, but it never entered the forefront, due to obvious distractions.

He was running past an unconscious Death Eater when someone locked his path.

"Potter," Lucius Malfoy sneered, directing his wand at Harry's heart. He looked slightly drunk, swaying on his feet. Blood was pouring from his nose and he looked like he was about to pass out. If Harry didn't hate the man so much, he might have felt sorry for him. "And last words?"

"Yeah," Harry said defiantly. _"Stupefy!"_

Harry smiled in satisfaction as Malfoy's eyes widened in surprise before the spell hit him and he fell to the ground.

Harry cast his eyes about, trying to keep up with everything going on. The Order appeared to be rather outnumbered, struggling to hold their own. Charlie was fighting a huge Death Eater that Harry angrily recognized as one of those who infiltrated Hogwarts last year. Kinglsey was taking on both Nott and Lestrange and Mundungus was shooting some pretty nasty curses at Avery. Satisfied that the Order was doing all right, Harry began scanning the mess for his friends. He started to panic when he didn't see them at first, but then he relaxed when he finally spotted them.

Ron was fighting furiously, back to back with Hermione as they circled, stunning a many Death eaters as they could reach. They were doing very well and Harry smiled, knowing they were fine. Ginny was battling with a female Death eater who must have been a new recruit, because Harry had no idea who she was. He winced as a cutting curse grazed Ginny's left shoulder, but she only got angrier and hexed the Death Eater as only Ginny can do.

Turning to jump back into battle, Harry gave a startled gasp as he came face to face with none other than Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape.

"Wittle Hawy's come out to pway," Bellatrix simpered in her annoying baby voice.

Harry's eye's widened and he looked between Bellatrix and Snape calculatingly. He didn't know whether to blow Snape's cover, attack both of them, or run away. _Or,_ Harry thought with horror,_ maybe Snape really isn't on our side and this is all a trap._ But as soon as that thought came into his head, he immediately shook it away. _Snape is innocent,_ he reaffirmed before looking back up at the two.

"Potter," Snape sneered, his lips turning up into an evil smirk. "I see you've graced us with your presence."

Harry, working hard to play the part, glared back at Snape. "Yes, I've come to check up on a certain few murderers."

Bellatrix laughed madly. "Is that supposed to insult us, Potter?" She took a step forward, cocking her eyebrow. "Can't you do better than that? Or did my cousin and that old fool's deaths cause you to lose your edge?"

No longer having to feign anger, Harry whipped his wand up. _Levicorpus_, he thought quickly, jerking his wand into the air. Bellatrix shrieked as she was yanked upward by her ankle, dangling precariously ten feet in the air.

"Severus, you filthy half blood, _do something!_"

But Snape had already whipped out his wand and had it pointed directly at Harry's heart. Without a second thought, Snape sent a strong curse straight to the chest. Harry fell to the ground hard, struggling to breathe due to the wind that was knocked out of him. Snape walked right up to him and all Harry could do was lie there and gasp for breath.

"I've told you a hundred times, Potter, he sneered as he waved his wand again and Bellatrix fell to the ground in a heap. "You are nothing but a little Orphan that happens to be the tragedy of the century." Leaning closer, Snape whispered, "Have you accomplished what you came here to do?"

Though he had finally caught his breath, he was too shock at Snape's behavior to speak. Numbly, he nodded.

Snape nodded his had in return just as Bellatrix had composed herself and looked up at them.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked vehemently. She pointed her wand between Harry's eyes and screeched, _"Crucio!"_

Harry couldn't get away fast enough for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, as he was still lying on the ground. He closed his eyes and waited for the all-encompassing pain to hit him, but it never came. Instead he heard a loud explosion and felt bits of debris hit his face. After a moment he realized he was unharmed and shakily opened his eyes.

A large granite rock from the cliffside was hovering over Harry and he distinctly saw a very large chunk blown out of it where the Cruciatus curse had undoubtedly hit it. He looked over to Snape in time to see him levitate a rock away from Harry and it fell to the ground with a crash.

"I knew it!" Bellatrix shrieked. "All along you really were working for that old fool!" She pointed her wand at Snape wildly. "I'll kill you for betraying the Dark Lord. I'll-"

"Oh, shut up," Snape interrupted. He flicked his wand and she fell to the ground, unable to move.

For the first time in Harry's entire life, he smiled gratefully to Snape. It was the most odd thing he had ever experiences – feeling grateful toward the man he'd hated for the better part of seven years. Yet he felt oddly… light. Like a bit of weight he'd been carrying had been lifted off his shoulders. He still didn't _like_ Snape, but it was better than nothing.

He was jerked back into reality when he heard a blood-curdling, unending scream that gave him the chills and a strong feeling of foreboding. He pushed past Snape and ran toward the sound, ducking hexes and dodging curses until he finally reached his destination. But when he did his blood ran cold.

Voldemort stood before him, smiling evilly, his wand pointing to a screaming, jerking figure on the ground. A figure with long red hair…

"Ginny!" _  
_


	21. And then the world went dark

**Author's Note:** THE CLIMAX OF THE STORY IS FINALLY DONE! I really hope you guys enjoy this. I spent a lot of thought and effort writing it. I couldn't think properly the rest of the day yesterday after I'd finished. I've been thinking about this chapter since I started writing this fic, whichwas a year ago, almost exactly! And the last two chatpers are coming tomorrow hopefully, so then I wil be DONE! No more leaving you hanging. I can move on to bigger and better things.

Just so y'all know, Gravestones is on hold until September. And if you are reading this and are originally one of my buds from I will not be posting Gravestones there anymore since they have retarded rules and won't let you leave something alone for a little while. Anyway, I promise I'm not abandoning that fic, I jsut have a play to write by the time school starts in three weeks. In September I will have ample boring classes to write all the fics I've promised, including Gravestones, Ditto, and Class Plans. Please keep with me, even after this story is done! Check my profile - it has all the news on all my fanfics.

Let me reiterate that in **bold** and underline it**: CHECK MY PROFILE FOR MORE INFO ON MY OTHER STORIES AND WHEN THEY WILL BE COMING OUT! **Whenever I have news, I post there. Also,I sometimes talk about it on my LiveJournal, which my "Homepage" link on my profile.

_Anyway..._ this is 13 pages on Microsoft Word, so enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 21

And the world went Dark... ( -- That's the chapter title, btw!)

Harry was thrown into a desperate panic as he saw Ginny screaming in agony on the ground. He tried to go to her, but he was thrown down by an invisible force field. He cast every hex he could think of at Voldemort, but all of them bounced off the shield and he ended up hexing himself with jelly legs for a split second before he hurriedly muttered the counter curse.

"Stop it!" He shouted desperately. "Stop it, Tom, this isn't her fight!"

Voldemort lifted his wand, abruptly ending the curse, and watched Ginny twitch for a moment before answering.

"This isn't her fight, Harry? I thought all of you noble Muggle lovers believed everyone must fight for good and light and all that rubbish."

"Ginny!" he said loudly, fighting the tremor in his voice to be brave for her, though he knew she couldn't hear him. Trying not to vomit after seeing her in such pain he yelled, "Ginny, hold on!"

"Not going to answer me, Harry? Very well." Voldemort raised his wand and before Harry could even shout against it, he'd raised his wand on her again. "_Crucio_!"

Ginny twitched violently and screamed louder than Harry had ever heard her scream before. It was so loud that it gathered the attention of several duelists nearby, turning to see what victim was at the hands of the Dark Lord. Harry's blood boiled in anger and he ran toward the barrier, throwing all his weight into it. He felt the force collide with his shoulder, but then it gave way and Harry slipped through with only a slight buzzing in his ears. Voldemort was so surprised that he lifted the curse on Ginny, who promptly fell unconscious. Harry took this opportunity to run to her, kneeling down on the ground and calling to her to wake up while brushing her hair back from her face.

"How did you do that, Potter?" Voldemort spat, looking confused and incensed at the same time. "How did you break through my shield? I created that myself. There was no possible way for anyone to get in or out."

Harry didn't answer, but instead kept his full attention on Ginny.

"Ginny," he whispered frantically. "Ginny, you have to wake up. This is no time to become the damsel in distress. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Ginny remained unresponsive, however, even though some of her smaller muscles spasmed slightly from the Cruciatus Curse.

"No matter," Voldemort said, narrowing his slitted eyes and raising his wand. Now Harry had to pay attention. He was just about to raise his own wand, but Voldemort wordlessly summoned it to him, effectively disarming Harry and leaving him cornered.

_Oh Merlin,_ Harry thought, shoving his hands into his pockets in search of anything that might help him. In his left hand pocket he felt a few wrappers and the map of the area. In the other… nothing but a little oval thing that Harry didn't know the purpose of. _Wait!_ Harry thought, afraid to get his hopes up too high. _Is that… It is! _He kept a firm hold on the small capsule and grabbed Ginny's arm, waiting for the right moment.

Voldemort smiled at Harry's obvious desperation. "Searching your pockets for something to save you? Nothing and no one can help you now. Not your parents, your godfather, or our precious Dumbledore will be coming to your rescue this time Harry Potter. You always were a pathetic disgrace. _Avada Kedavra!"_

As soon as Voldemort uttered the deadly curse, Harry threw the object on the ground as hard as he could while clutching Ginny to him. He saw the green light begin to emerge from Voldemort's wand as if in slow motion before smoke emerged from the capsule below and enveloped them in serene quiet.

He was still on his knees, and Ginny was still lying down motionless next to him, but they were in a completely different place. It was a comfortable cream-colored room with a desk to his left, complete with three quills and several bottles of ink. There was a bookshelf in front of him, loaded with every book Harry had ever used at Hogwarts. To his right was a fireplace, letting in a comforting amount of light and warmth to make the room cheery and comfortable. Behind him stood a large queen size bed, covered with a soft down comforter.

Harry quickly put one arm under Ginny's knees and another under her upper back and carefully lifted her, trying not to notice how her head lolled around without any support. He walked over to the bed and set her down gently. He pulled the chair from the desk over to the side of the bed and sat there, holding her hand and waiting for her to wake up.

He didn't have to wait long. After a few moments of silence Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she grimaced in pain. Harry quickly stood over her, relief spreading throughout his body, and waited as her eyes focused and she looked up at him.

"Harry?" she asked quietly, her voice hoarse. "Where am I?"

Harry smiled, unable to express his gratitude that she was alive and well. "We're in a Secret Hide-Away. I had to get you out of the battle before you were killed."

Ginny nodded. "Those things come in handy, eh? Did you know I was the one who suggested them to George? He and Fred took ages to figure it out."

"Well I'm glad they finally did," Harry said sternly, surprising himself with his protectiveness.

Ginny rolled her eyes and slowly got up, wincing a bit. "So what position are we in the real world?" she asked, scooting up against the pillows.

"Well, erm, not a very good one," Harry replied. "We're sort of on the ground, disarmed, with the Avada Kedavra halfway to my head."

"Lovely!" Ginny said, sounding so much like Rita Skeeter that Harry almost cracked a smile, even in the dire situation.

"Lovely?" He asked in confusion. "What's lovely about being two seconds from death?"

"Well Harry," Ginny said in the tone she got when Harry was being totally brainless or she totally ingenious. "One thing about a Secret Hideaway is that where you left is not exactly where you appear when you get back."

"Er… clarify, please?" Harry asked.

"What I mean to say," Ginny continued, now looking more like her lively self, "is that Fred and George, being pranksters, decided that it would be funny if people using the secret hideaway thought they would be appearing in the same spot they were standing in a busy hallway or something, when all of sudden they reappear five feet to their left or right, very likely knocking into someone and scaring people halfway to Durmstrang at the thought of people apparating in Hogwarts. "

Harry couldn't help but grin at this revelation. He also couldn't help but think that as soon as this was over, he was buying 30 galleons worth of merchandise from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"So we'll be at least five feet away somewhere?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Yes, although from there I really don't know what you're going to do." Ginny frowned worriedly and Harry was taken aback to see tears in her eyes.

"Oh Merlin Ginny, please don't cry over me," Harry muttered, looking away.

"Well, when I don't know if you're going to live through the next hour or not, I can't really help it!" she said angrily, wiping away a few treacherous tears that leaked down her cheek.

Harry would have yelled back, but he felt this was neither the time nor the place. "Look, Ginny," he said after taking a deep breath. "I don't know what's going to happen out there. All I know is that I'll do my best to kill that son of a-" Harry chuckled slightly, ignoring Ginny's strange look at him stopping mid sentence. He had intended on using the actual phrase, but had suddenly thought of something much more appropriate. "I'm going to kill that son of a Muggle."

The corners of Ginny's mouth twitched as well and she reached out and touched his hand.

"I don't think we should wait any longer," she said quietly. Harry nodded and they stood walking a little way away from the bed. Without needing to say anything, they both wrapped their arms around each other and hugged for a moment, never wanting to let go. "Don't die out there, okay?" Ginny asked in a joking tone, but Harry knew she was being sincere.

He nodded and kissed her quickly, wishing he could stay with her forever. "Same to you. Now how do we get out of here?"

"Snap your fingers three times, like it says on the package. But be ready for a rough landing."

"Right," Harry nodded again. They each snapped their fingers three times and soon found themselves enveloped in a cloud of smoke and their knees suddenly gave way. Harry grabbed on to Ginny and they both fell over, landing on something scratchy and rather uncomfortable. Opening his eyes, he saw that they had landed in a bush, large enough to cover them from sight.

"Alright Ginny," Harry said as loudly as he dared, trying to make himself heard above the noise. "Either stay here or leave. If things look bad, go and find help."

"Who am I going to ask, the entire Order is here!" she protested.

"Ginny, please!" Harry whispered frantically. "Please, just stay out of it. For me."

Ginny looked taken aback at first, but she reluctantly nodded. Harry gave her hand a squeeze before crawling quietly away from the bush to the other side of the small clearing where Voldemort stood, and reemerged a safe distance away from Ginny's hiding place.

"Potter! How did you… what happened to the girl?" Voldemort asked hastily, his cool exterior gone for a moment.

"Safe," Harry replied. He was keeping a brave face, but not having his wand had left him very conscious of his weakness. Voldemort definitely had the upper hand.

"Ah, well it was fun while it lasted," said Voldemort, back to his nonchalant attitude. He trained his wand on Harry again. "Now where were we?"

Voldemort instantly started firing curse after curse. Harry dove for cover behind a large out-cropping of rock, but that didn't appear to be a safe place to be, because it was soon blasted to pieces, large shards of granite embedding into his skin all over his body. Harry hissed in pain, but pushed it aside, running to the next bit of shelter he could find, which happened to be a rather flimsy old tree.

"You can run, but you can't hide, Harry Potter," Voldemort cackled. Harry new this, and as soon as he heard the killing curse firing, he ducked quickly. It blew a hole clean through the tree and it quickly caught fire. Diving behind the next tree, which was a bit sturdier, he caught his breath for a moment, before running to the next one.

The flimsy old tree was aflame in seconds all the way to the top branches. There was a soft summer breeze blowing, which quickly pushed the flame to two more trees, which slowly began to burn and crackle.

Harry found another larger rock and was able to rest for a moment, noting that the fire was making it much hotter than usual. He looked to where he had come from, and saw that within the past five minutes, there were now five trees on fire, quickly spreading and conflicting with the duelists who weren't far away.

"Harry, don't you see? You've lost. Why don't you come out and admit defeat?" Voldemort asked while blasted the rock several times with very powerful curses. One more, and Harry knew he'd have to start running again. He started to take a deep breath – which wasn't nearly as refreshing as it ought to have been, due to all the smoke – when a huge _CRACK_ resonated around him. At first he thought it was someone apparating nearby, but then there was a huge thud that shook the ground. The fire appeared to have consumed the first tree, and it had fallen over, no longer strong enough to support itself. He saw that Voldemort was temporarily distracted by a large flaming tree blocking his shot and took the opportunity to quickly sprint farther in order to hide behind a clump of dense bushes. He was absolutely positive Voldemort hadn't seen where he'd gone when the rock was blasted apart again, and Voldemort looked incensed.

"Harry, there really isn't any time to waste," Voldemort said. He spun on his heel and with a whirl of his cloak, he disappeared. Harry looked frantically around, trying to find him. A moment later, he saw a black cloak appear a bit farther away, and Voldemort continued to speak, peering behind the rocks.

"Aren't you bored of this, Harry?" he asked before disappearing from that place and reappearing about twenty feet away. "Don't you want it to be over? To see your parent's again?"

Harry growled under his breath and burrowed himself further into the bush, trying to keep as silent as possible. He could no longer see Voldemort when he disappeared or reappeared, and had no way of preparing himself for it, seeing as he didn't have a wand.

Suddenly, Voldemort stopped talking. Harry thought maybe he was searching too intently to waste his time with pointless one-way banter, but as he strained his ears he heard a definite hiss.

"_Nagini, my sweet, find the boy."_

There were a few more hisses before Harry heard an intelligible reply.

"_What does Massster want done with him?"_ came a sibilant female voice that Harry assumed was the snake. He heard a few more hisses, and then nothing more, not that he could do anything about it anyway. Besides, he had another thing that was a bit more pressing on his mind.

The roar of the fire was becoming increasingly loud the closer it spread toward Harry's hiding spot. There was no way he would be able to hear an approaching snake, and he settled for trying to find a way out of this mess and get a wand. Apparating would give him away. He couldn't run for it without getting hit, and he doubted there would be a flying car waiting for him somewhere. He briefly entertained the thought of using Floo Powder, but finally decided that he'd wasted too much time pondering his escape. He needed to finish this, and in order to do that, he needed his wand back.

Harry was just considering moving to another spot, as the heat was beginning to be unbearable and he could hardly breathe, when something cold and scaly brushed against his leg.

"_Massster wishes to ssspeak with you. Follow me…" _said the snake before slithering past him, back toward the clearing.

Harry new that Nagini would report his position to Voldemort and he would come to him if Harry didn't follow, so Harry took a deep breath and stood up from behind his hiding place.

"Ah, Harry, so nice of you to join me."

As Harry stepped forward, he noticed that though many were still dueling, most had turned to watch, including Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. But Harry pushed all of them out of his mind. There would be no more playing around, getting distracted, or hiding behind bushes. The time had come.

"So what's it like to murder in cold blood, Tom?" Harry asked as he stepped forward. "A defenseless one year old boy, and you killed him. Did he remind you of me, or were you feeling particularly wicked that day?"

"Oh, you know how it goes," Voldemort said with a glint in his eye.

"No, I guess I don't. But then again, I never will. Apparently I'm supposed to die today."

As Harry reached the middle of the clearing facing Voldemort, something caught his eye. Lying on the ground near the snake lay a long wooden stick, roughly the shape of-

_A wand! Ginny's wand! _Ginny must have dropped it while she was being tortured! Not only was that understandable, but it was rather fortunate.

Harry slowly began to walk toward it, trying to look as casual as possible in the situation.

"So I've been wondering, what was the deal you had with Ernie Prang, eh? I know you wouldn't kill him for nothing," Harry continued mockingly, covering a few feet of ground.

"My, my, Harry, you do have a good memory. It's a shame your mind was completely wasted by Dumbledore," Voldemort shot back, smiling twistedly. "Ernie Prang arranged through one of my Death Eaters to take care of a little black market deal in Devon. In exchange, he was to bring you when you rode the Knight Bus. Sadly, you did not ride the bus this year, and so I killed him for not following through with his deal."

Harry was about ten feet away from Ginny's wand by the time he replied, "Ah, yes, I see how the evil mind works. It doesn't matter whose fault it is, as long as someone is punished brutally. Am I right?"

Voldemort laughed loudly, almost matching the sounds of the crackling flames surrounding them. "Harry, you never cease to amaze me. You learn so quickly."

Harry was now practically stepping on the wand. Waiting for the right moment, he stood there, ignoring Nagini's agitated hissing as she watched him carefully from about four feet away.

"Well, Harry, as lovely as this little chat has been, I really must bid you adieu. I have a world to conquer, after all. Nagini," he nodded in the snake's direction his red eyes reflecting the flames surrounding them, "now would be a good time."

Harry didn't know what Nagini was supposed to do, but seeing her raised head, hissing and spitting, he instantly dove to the ground and grabbed the wand. Nagini lunged for him, and though Harry tried to back away, he was no match for a snake in terms of agility. He felt an overwhelming pain as her fangs sank into his right wrist, releasing her deadly venom into his blood stream before pulling back and circling him, watching him in his agony.

Gasping in pain, Harry's knees crumpled and he fell to the ground, the wand hanging loosely from his injured hand as he slapped a hand over the deep wound to quell the blood.

"And here we are again, Harry Potter. Although I doubt there will be a phoenix here to save you this time," said Voldemort. "There are other people crying for you, though. I can hear your girlfriend as we speak. I suppose she's not as safe as you said she was. I'll kill her, no need to worry about that, but for now, I am content to watch you whither away."

Voldemort was right. Harry could feel the poison coursing through him, and yet he could do nothing to stop it. The heat from the fire wasn't helping matters, as it felt like his blood was literally boiling. He figured most had fled, trying to avoid getting burnt alive, but in the background he heard muffled cries. He couldn't really distinguish who was who, though. His hearing was a bit fuzzy and he could help but feel a strange deja vous.

"You see, Harry," he continued pacing back and forth, enjoying Harry's discomfort immensely. "Nagini is a rare type of snake known only to the magical world. She was born about three hundred and forty years ago, and she is still considered to be a hatchling. Her venom is more feared than even the Basilisks, because it is painful upon contact with blood and increases in pain until the heart can't take the stress anymore and simply fails."

"R… really?" Harry said, wincing as his voice grated at his throat. "Sounds... like fun."

"Actually, Harry, you'll be interested to know that her venom is what comprises Black Powder, which I understand you came in contact with not long ago," said Voldemort with a smile.

Harry had had enough of this banter. It was getting far too hot and he was hurting far too much to sit here and listen to this. Harry discreetly switched Ginny's wand to his left hand.

"Well, Harry, as cliché as it is to say, I'm _deathly_ curious. Do you have any last words for me?" His eyes glinted mockingly.

"As… a matter of fact…" Harry said struggling to sit up. He took a deep breath, inhaling a bunch of smoke. Coughing a bit, he sat up, yet still managed to conceal the wand. "I have something to say… to your snake."

He pointed the wand at a huge rock behind him and quickly thought, _Wingardium Leviosa!_ The rock lifted and moved toward him, slowly enough that Voldemort couldn't see.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Voldemort asked, smirking.

Harry flicked the wand and the rock flew over Nagini. Another flick and it came crashing down on her.

"_No!_ _What have you done!"_ Voldemort screamed. He quickly flicked his wand and the rock flew to the side, revealing two halves of a snake. Harry watched with disgust as the snake halves struggled for a few seconds before they finally lay still.

Voldemort stood. "There will be no more fun and games, Potter. _Crucio!_"

He screamed and twitched in agony, trying to get away from the millions of snakes that he felt biting him everywhere. There seemed to be no escape. The pain seemed to go on for hours. Writhing on the ground, he finally felt the curse lifted. He lay there, spitting out blood from where he'd bitten his tongue.

"You will die, Potter, from the poison. I'd get it over with and just kill you in the more conventional manner, but I'd rather watch you suffer. It is time you realize that you are a mere mortal, just like all your little friends."

Harry looked up at the man who had been his sworn enemy for his entire life. His skeletal frame stood rigid in fury, his eyes blazing, turning brighter red than even the flames behind him. He truly looked like the most feared man in the world. And Harry decided that it was time to put an end to it.

"You're… mortal now, too," Harry said shakily. He stopped a moment as his stomach gave a twinge and he was forced to vomit painfully. Looking back up again, he repeated, "All of your Horcruxes… were destroyed. You're mortal now…."

Voldemort's eyes widened and he stepped back. "No, it can't be true. I went through every step necessary to protect them."

"Like you protected… Nagini?" Harry asked.

Voldemort paled, and for a figure who seemed to never see the sun, he literally looked like a ghost. Raising his wand shakily, he glared at Harry, though he still looked shell shock. "Potter, spit it out now. What are you on about?"

"Yes, Tom," Harry said, standing shakily on his feet. "The diary… the ring… The cup… the locket… the shield… your precious snake… Now there's only… one thing… left." Harry raised Ginny's wand. "Any last words?"

Harry didn't wait for an answer. Instead of thinking of something horrible and hateful, he dredged up his best memory – the one with the most love.

"_Ginny?" said Harry hesitantly._

"_Hmm?" she asked, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes._

"_I love you."_

_Ginny slowly opened her eyes and stared up at him._

"_Do you mean that?" she asked, sounding anxious._

_Harry nodded. "More than you'll ever know."_

"_On the contrary, Mr. Potter, I already know," she said, smiling. "Because I love you, too."_

Even though he was in a weakened state, nothing, not even Voldemort, could have held back the power he suddenly unleashed as he shouted out, _"Avada Kedavra!"_

The light, instead of being bright green, was a blinding white, illuminating the area perfectly for miles around. It shot toward the Dark Lord, furiously fast, and went straight through his chest, piercing his heart. Screaming in anguish, he fell to the ground, no longer Voldemort, the invincible and immortal He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but Tom Riddle, the man who didn't understand what it meant to love or be loved.

The heat of the fire was finally closing in, and Harry felt very dizzy and nauseous. The world was spinning. Harry dropped Ginny's wand to place a hand on his head, trying to right it. He saw several blurs move toward him as if in slow motion and felt someone grab onto his shoulders before his eyes rolled back into his head and the world went dark.


	22. Voices from the Past

**A/N: **Okay, here is that last official chapter of PFM! But there is an epilogue, which I will post tomorrow! I would have gotten this up earlier today, guys, but the site was having problems. Grr! (Breathe in, breath out) It's still technically on time, though, so I have that consolation.

But anyway, I would like to remind you all again to CHECK MY PROFILE for information on updates, new stories, and background stuff. Seriously, it's not that hard. And just so you know, I always update it right after I post a new chapter.

Special thanks to **inky1216** for beta-ing this chapter on an emergency basis. Hoofs is at a HUGE horse show (wish her luck),so inky1216 filled in to get this chapter clean cut and out on time. Thanks, Nikki!

And thank you to anonymous reviewer _daniherself_ for a review that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I love all y'all's reviews, and I'm going to acknowledge them allafter the epilogue tomorrow, so don't feel left out!This review in particular was just so honest-sounding and unique that it stood out to me. Thankyou!

And now, on with the show!

Chapter 22

Voices from the Past andPromises for the Future

All Harry knew was that everything hurt and nothing made sense. There was a blur of voices that kept coming in and out, and he couldn't determine what was dream and what was reality. He couldn't open his eyes. All he could do was sit there and listen in blackness.

"_We have finally reached our hour of redemption…"_ Harry heard. He recognized the voice and didn't care for it too much. Then another voice filtered into the blackness of his mind.

"Hurry, get him to Dai Llewellyn Ward, and talk to Emergency Healer Kelmish! I've seen this bite before, and it gets nasty!" He didn't recognize that one. It sounded very stressed.

"_There will come a time, Harry, when you shall have to choose between what is right, and what is easy."_

Well, what was right? Harry was sure of the answer to that question, but he knew that the easier way was to just ignore it, not that he could do much else.

"Well, he's finally stabilized. Now all we can do is wait." Wait for what, exactly?

"_Well, when I don't know if you're going to live through the next hour or not, I can't really help it!" _He knew that voice well. It was a voice that always comforted him when times were hard. Well, almost always. Right now it made him feel upset at the distress those words conveyed.

"When do you think he's going to wake up? It's been so long…" That sounded like a male voice – someone close to him. But he couldn't remember names at the moment. It was so frustrating!

"_My, my, Harry, you do have a good memory. It's a shame your mind was completely wasted by Dumbledore."_ There was that first voice again. He quickly shoved that one aside and waited for a better one.

"Hopefully he'll wake soon, though he'll be very weak. Just relax and be sure to get some sleep, you three." There was another voice he wasn't familiar with. It wasn't bad by any means, but it just wasn't like the comforting voices before.

"_There will be no more fun and games, Potter. Crucio!"_ Harry decided that he really hated that voice. The words seemed to remind him of all the pain he was in, and he didn't care for that at all.

"I've taken your king, Ron. Face it, you've lost to your little sister."

There was that comforting voice again. Harry desperately wanted to talk to the voice, or at least look at the person. Instead, he settled for a painful groan.

"Harry!" He heard several loud thuds and a screeching noise before he felt something slip into his hand and felt a warm weight on his shoulder.

"Oh good, I think he's waking up!" That was a know-it-all sort of voice that he felt was very familiar.

"Mate, can you hear me?" There was that familiar male voice again.

"Harry, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

Ah, that was the comforting voice he was looking for. He swallowed with difficulty but nonetheless, he forced all of his fingers to move around the hand in his. It wasn't much of a squeeze, but the owner of the comforting voice squealed with pleasure, making Harry wince from the noise.

"Okay, Harry, I want you to try your best to open your eyes," the voice encouraged.

Harry wanted to say that he couldn't, but the hand squeezed his own comfortingly and so Harry obeyed. His eyelids felt heavier than stone cauldrons, but he fought hard to open then, listening to the encouraging voices around him. Finally, his eyes opened.

Everything was blurry and the light gave him a headache (well, a stronger one than he already had), but seeing two large spots of red and one of light brown , he couldn't help but smile weakly, wincing at the effort.

"Oh, here, let me get your glasses," Hermione said, grinning like mad. She slipped the glasses onto his face and she, Ron, and Ginny waited to let his eye focus.

He was in St. Mungo's, there was no doubt about that. The telltale oak walls and portraits of old healers explained that right off. The crystal bubbled light fixtures hung above his bed, illuminating the room, as the little window didn't seem to be doing the trick. The bed he was lying in had bright orange bed sheets that would give the Chudley Cannons a run for their money, and Harry noted his right wrist wrapped tightly in a sticky purple gauze. The room didn't seem to be like the one Mr. Weasley had been in when he was bitten, though, since it was a private room and it looked a bit nicer. Harry looked at his friends questioningly.

"You were bitten by that snake, Harry," Ron answered for him. "The one that bit Dad. It was a good thing Healer Smethwyck had experience in the area. They put you in a private room due to all the press, but also because the situation was so serious. The poison really settled into your system, and what with the added exhaustion of everything you'd done before and after you got bitten…"

Hermione put a hand on his arm and Ron stopped, looking at her quizzically. "What?"

"We don't want to overwhelm him, Ron," Hermione said quietly. "He just woke up.

Harry cleared his throat and looked at Ginny. "H… how long…"

"How long have you been here?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded slightly. It was awfully painful to speak. "Five days."

Harry stared at her in shock. He had been unconscious for _five days!_

Ron nodded to his unasked question. "As soon as you killed Vol…" he took a deep breath, "Voldemort, you sort of collapsed. I barely caught you and got you out of the way before the fire got to you." Harry couldn't believe Ron had said "Voldemort" after all those years of fearing the name, but decided to let it pass.

"We were so scared! You were deathly pale and barely breathing. Plus you had all kinds of nasty scraps…" Hermione shuddered.

"We brought you to St. Mungo's as soon as possible," Ginny continued. "It was flooded with people, not only Order members, but loads of civilians. Apparently Voldemort went on a sort of raid. They killed a whole neighborhood of Muggles, I think the Ministry is covering it up as some sort of freak disease or something. They tortured so many witches and wizards, this place was brimming over with patients. Some were so brutalized, it was impossible to recognize them."

Harry couldn't help but feel extremely depressed by that. But Ginny squeezed his hand again, and he focused back on her.

"I talked to some of the healers, and apparently a strange miracle happened about two minutes before we had gotten here. Most of the patients had been cursed with some unknown curse that had some horrible side effects I won't go into. Anyway, right when we got here they started realizing that the patients who had been cursed in such a way were just fine. They could walk out, and the healers were absolutely baffled. But fortunately, it left more attention for you."

Harry shifted uncomfortably at that, using his bandaged hand to pull the covers up a bit more. Even if he was unconscious and dying, he still didn't like the idea of lots of attention.

"We were really worried, mate," Ron said, looking uncomfortable. "There was so much blood, and the healers said that it was a much worse bite than Dad's. They were in here for hours working on you before they would tell us anything."

Ginny and Hermione both nodded, Ginny scowling slightly. They all were silent for a while before Harry dared speak again. It was a bit easer than the last time, but not much.

"So he's… really dead, then?" he whispered hoarsely.

They all smiled at that.

"Yes, Harry. You did it," said Ginny triumphantly. "It's over."

Harry would have collapsed with relief at the thought had he not already been lying down. No more struggling for survival, no more hunting for Horcruxes, no more mass murders, no more prophecy, no more Voldemort. Harry couldn't even properly wrap his mind around that. It was too good to be true.

But that couldn't be all. There were still Death Eaters out, and surely many on the side of light had died that night. Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he asked anyway.

"Well… Harry, you see…" Ron began awkwardly.

"A lot of Death Eaters were captured and most of the Order survived…" Hermione continued for him, looking saddened.

"What they're trying to say, Harry, is that several people that we know didn't come out all right." This was one of the reasons he loved Ginny. She got to the point.

"Who?" Harry asked, sitting up a bit and wincing. Ron helped adjust his pillows as Ginny explained.

"Well, Dedalus Diggle fell, as well as a newer Londoner, Chadwick McCloud. Moody is now entirely blind – a Death Eater hit him with a curse that causes both natural and magical eyes to fail. Lupin was hit with so many stray curses while he was frozen that his ribcage shrank permanently, making it incredibly difficult for him to breathe when he does any amount of exercise. Some of the older witches from the original Order simply couldn't keep up and fell quite easily. Dad has a permanent limp, and…" Ginny's eyes welled up with tears and she closed them momentarily before opening them. "And Percy was found dead in front of Hogwarts."

Harry gasped. He thought Percy was just being a git for not speaking with the family, but this? He felt extremely guilty.

"Apparently," Ginny continued with difficulty, "he'd been held captive for the better part of seven months. He was tortured mercilessly, but he refused to answer Voldemort's questions. So finally, when Voldemort when came to attack us, he killed Percy and left him in front of the gates."

"I feel so bloody guilty," said Ron admitted quietly. "I was ranting when he didn't come for Christmas, or Mum's funeral, and he never wrote me back. I thought he was just being a huge prat."

"We all thought that, Ron, there's no reason to beat yourself up about it," Hermione said consolingly

They sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking about the sinking feeling they each had in their stomachs. Finally, Ron and Hermione took seats by the bed and Ginny wiped her eyes one last time before sitting down on Harry's bed.

"What else do you want to know? We've been filled in on all the details in the last ten days."

Harry bit his lip in thought. "How did Voldemort… know we were going… to be there?" he said quietly, trying not to irritate his throat.

"Vladimir Omega," Ron answered instantly. Harry expected Hermione to scold him for jumping to conclusions, but instead, she remained silent, scowling upon hearing the name. "He told us everything, with a little help from some Veritaserum. They're administering it to all those suspected of being in league with Voldemort. He's been listening in on our conversations with extendable ears, Harry. He was the one who wrote that sappy letter to Hermione, the one we thought was from Viktor Krum!" Ron looked very upset by this fact, but not nearly as much as Harry thought he would be. Judging by the way Hermione put her arm around him, they had spoken about it and had obviously apologized. "Anyway, he heard a few snippets of where we were going before we had used Muffliato. Anyway, he's in Azkaban now, right along with his father. It's not nearly as bad now that they've banished the Dementors to Siberia, but-"

"What!" Harry said loudly, sitting up suddenly and then wincing. Could he really get his hopes up?

"Yeah," Ron replied as Ginny helped Harry lean against the pillows again. "Apparently Scrimgeour finally listened to McGonagall and sent them off to Siberia and setting up an new department in the ministry for… What was it, Hermione?"

"The Department for the Regulation, Control, and Maintenance of Penitential Areas," she supplied.

"Yeah, that," said Ron. "Anyway, Scrimgeour figured no body lived in Siberia anyway, and it's already cold, so they're keeping the Dementors over there."

_How?_ Harry thought in bewilderment, though he wasn't willing to test his voice just yet.

"Apparently someone in the ministry came up with a spell that acts sort of like a Patronus," Hermione said, answering his unasked question. "It can be placed on fences and the Dementors won't go near them, and it lasts about six months. They just have to get people to renew them every once in a while."

All these new revelations were overwhelming him. Suddenly all the mysteries were making sense. Most of the stuff was so far in the past that he had completely forgotten about it, but the mysteries were getting solved, nonetheless.

They sat in silence for a moment, and Harry reflected on all of the insane things that had happened since this war started. He was immersed in his thoughts for several minutes when he finally noticed all three of his friends shifting uncomfortably.

"What?" He asked curiously, worried that they were going to inform him of another tragedy.

"Well, erm, Harry, we have something to ask you," said Hermione, not looking directly at him. "You see, when you were, um, pinned to the cliff side and Voldemort said something particularly nasty, you sort of… well you glared at him," she finished lamely.

"Er… so?" Harry asked with confusion. What was he supposed to do? Ask him, 'Please, sir, I want some more'?

"It's just that… well, when you glared at him, your eyes sort of… glowed, I guess you could say," Hermione concluded, receiving nods from Ron and Ginny.

Harry gaped at them. "What… what are you saying? Is it another odd side effect from being around Voldemort?" Harry was horrified at the thought.

"No, more like you have… I dunno, special powers or something," Ron said. "We all know you're a really strong wizard. You never know. Maybe you have something locked up in there waiting to unleash itself."

"Well… it's not like it matters, anyway," Ginny said, and Harry looked at her tiredly, raising his eyebrow. "It's all over, now. You don't need to worry about dark wizards anymore."

"Well, not if I'm going… to be an Auror," Harry said. But at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's grimaces, he asked, "What?"

"We don't really want to think about you fighting evil wizards while you're lying in the hospital, barely able to talk - let alone run around shooting hexes," Ginny explained. "We'll talk about it later, but there are other ways to occupy that hero complex of yours."

"Harry didn't have the energy to argue wither her – or perhaps he didn't have a point to back it up. Maybe he didn't really want to be an Auror. He was rather sick of the threats on his and his friends' lives. He supposed that would never really change, but it would be much worse as an Auror.

They all nodded sympathetically and Hermione stood, starting to leave. "That reminds me, we were supposed to get the healers when you woke up. Ron, let's go get them."

"Oh, you can't walk down the hall by yourself anymore?" Ron asked sarcastically, laughing slightly.

"_No_," Hermione said through clenched teeth, looking at him threateningly. "So you'd better come with me."

Ron paled slightly and nodded, scrambling to his feet. He waved to Harry, looking slightly bemused, and followed Hermione out the door, slamming it behind them.

Ginny smiled and scooted closer to Harry. "'Bout time they left," she muttered, kissing him lightly so as not to hurt him.

"Too right you are," Harry replied, kissing her back gently, leaning into it. He lifted a shy, unbandaged hand up to her face and caressed her cheek while she slipped her arms around his neck. Even though they were being really careful due to Harry's condition, the love, worry, and passion they had been holding in for so long was in that kiss.

"Ahem."

Harry and Ginny grudgingly broke apart and groaned in frustration, but turned to smile at the healer at the door anyway.

"Hello Mr. Potter, I'm Healer Cancloon, and I will be watching over you until Healer Smethwyck returns from lunch with his wife," the healer explained. "If you wouldn't mind too terribly, Miss Weasley, I need to check up on Mr. Potter to be sure he is recovering properly." He fixed Ginny with a stare that clearly communicated that he was not pleased to see a young witch snogging an ill patient.

"Oh, right," Ginny said hurriedly, blushing slightly. She didn't really seem embarrassed, though, and she gave Harry a quick kiss before grabbing her bag and heading to the tearoom. Harry couldn't help but miss her when she left, and although part of him was slightly disgusted with how lovesick and dependent he had become, another part of him decided he didn't care. He wasn't an immature child that couldn't handle life. Ginny had taught him to live, not hide away, and to make choices for himself, not other people.

While Healer Cancloon poked at him with his wand and changed the bandages on his wrist, Harry thought about the life ahead of him, a prospect he'd been afraid to think about before now. He actually had a future – time ahead of him to do what he wanted to do. It didn't matter whether he became an Auror at the Ministry, and Seeker for the Whimborne Wasps, or a clerk at Fred and George's joke shop. All that mattered was that he had the freedom to choose. Then again, Harry realized, he had had that all along.


	23. Epilogue: Of Hags and Haggis

**Author's Note:** This is officially the last chapter of _Harry Potter and the Past's Forgotten Mysteries_. There will be a huge A/N at the end, so stay with me! Enjoy!

**Epilogue: Of Hags and Haggis**

"Hey, Professor Potter, where are you going?"

"Professor, the Great Hall's that way."

"You're going to miss the leaving feast!"

Harry just smiled and waved as he pushed past the students flooding into the Great Hall, many giving him odd looks as he passed it up. Ignoring the comments from the more outspoken students, he walked across the entrance hall and pushed open one of the huge oak doors and stepped outside onto the grounds.

Taking a deep breath of fresh summer air, Harry headed toward the lake. He could hear the crickets chirping in the grass and the rustle in the trees that could either be the wind or some mysterious creature of the Forbidden Forest. He watched his surroundings, noting the ripples in the water from the carefree giant squid and the smoke billowing merrily from Hagrid's hut.

Upon reaching the lake, Harry picked up a small, flat rock and analyzed it for a moment before raising his arm above his head and swinging it forward with all his might, releasing it to the lake. The rock flew out incredibly far, but Harry watched in disappointment as it dropped into the water suddenly, causing a rather large splash.

"That was pathetic."

Harry jumped and looked around, smiling as he saw Ginny walking toward him. "You're late," he said.

Ginny ignored that comment and bent down to pick up a rock. "See, it should not only be flat, but long. You put your hand on it like this…" She put her index finger at the top of the rock and allowed her thumb to curl around the bottom. "Then when you throw it, you do it sideways so the rock can skip on the water." To demonstrate, she pulled her arm back at about waist level and twisted her whole body sideways. Then she brought her arm forward quickly, unwinding her body with it, and released the rock. Harry watched as it went almost parallel to the water before skimming the surface one, two, three…

"Nine skips," said Ginny with a smile. "Still doesn't beat Ron's seventeen, but I think he used magic for that."

Harry rolled his eyes at her and slipped his hand around her waist. "So what are you going to do now that you're finally done with your seventh year?" he asked as she laid her head on his shoulder and they both gazed out at the lake.

"I believe my boyfriend is going to take me out tonight," Ginny said playfully.

"Hmm, sounds like a nice bloke," Harry said, smiling.

"Yeah, well I would force him out at wand point whether he liked it or not. He's much too tense these days, and he's getting rather boring, always teaching classes and grading papers-"

Her voice was muffled for a moment and then she fell silent as Harry kissed her, effectively ending her teasing.

"Is he still boring?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Er… not quite _as_ boring, but definitely still not ready to go out," she replied, she said with a mock frown.

Harry shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Well, if I can't convince you, I'll go meet Ron and Hermione by myself." He started to pull away from her, but she grabbed his hand. "Don't you dare," she said quickly. "Let's go."

Harry smiled and held her hand tightly, walking toward the winged boars. Ginny stayed right next to him and they bantered back and forth before reaching the gates. A chain was wrapped around it, preventing anyone from going in or out. Harry muttered a quick unlocking spell and they waited for the chain to slowly unhook from the gate before Harry opened the door and held it open for Ginny to walk through.

"After you," Harry said smugly, and Ginny rolled her eyes and slugged him before walking through. Harry walked through after her, rubbing his arm and glaring at her playfully. Ginny just smiled sweetly and linked arms with him.

"You do realize that you can apparate on your own now, right?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but I haven't taken the test yet," Ginny explained. "I, unlike you, do not break _all_ the rules."

Harry laughed at that and received another punch in the arm for it. It didn't hurt at all, but Harry decided to let Ginny feel like she was in charge for a little while.

Harry closed his eyes tightly and focused on his destination. Turning sharply on the spot and pulling Ginny with him, he suddenly felt all encompassing, yet familiar blackness seeming to push in on him from all sides. When he could no longer feel the pressure around him, he opened his eyes.

They were standing in the middle of Diagon Alley. Harry and Ginny were standing in front of a trendy new restaurant, "Of Hags and Haggis," which Harry had been reluctant to try at first, but once he was assured that it had nothing to do with hags or haggis, he agreed. It was a crowded Friday evening and many people were rushing about carrying packages, bags, and little children. Some were heading out of Madam Malkins, carrying large bags full of summer robes, whereas many more were filtering out of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (one of five in the country) with all sorts of mischievous products. There were lots of people standing outside of Florean Fortesque's, getting large scoops of ice cream. Harry had been very pleased to find out last July that Mr. Fortesque had simply gone into hiding when he had been threatened by Death Eaters a couple years back, and had returned soon after Voldemort's fall. It appeared that Ron and Hermione hadn't shown up yet, even with Harry and Ginny arriving late. Harry started to turn to Ginny, taking a breath to speak, but suddenly got it knocked out of him as he was hugged tightly by a beaming Hermione.

"It's so good to see you!" she squealed loudly.

Harry patted her on the back. "It's great to see you too, Hermione. But you're sort of crushing me," he said in a strained voice.

Ron had been hugging his sister and came over to pry Hermione off of him, grinning and clapping Harry on the back. "How've you been, mate?"

Harry shrugged. "Pretty good. You?"

"Good. I haven't seen much of anyone but Hermione, what with all the traveling for work." Ron had immediately accepted the offer to be a keeper for the Chudley Canons the previous October and traveled around often for games. He alternated with Oliver Wood, who'd switched the last August from Puddlemere United.

"You know, it's funny," said Ginny. "I had always thought you would be playing for the Canons, even when you said you were going to be an Auror."

"Did not," Ron retorted.

"Did too," said Hermione. "I remember her telling me a couple of years ago."

Ron glared at Hermione and Ginny smiled. "I'm telling you, it was little sister intuition."

"Right, are we going to go inside, or what?" Harry asked quickly, trying to prevent a Weasley explosion.

"Yeah, let's go," Ron said quickly. "I'm starving."

They all laughed and started heading into the restaurant, waiting in line to put in their names with the hostess.

The restaurant was decorated quite creatively with statues of hags lining the walls which occasionally jumped out on people, baring their teeth and long nails. The lanterns about the room looked like oddly colored and shaped sacs that Hermione explained were imitation sheep stomachs, which haggis is made from. The music playing was interrupted randomly every once in a while with screeching and wailing. Harry thought the place might get a bit annoying, but everyone there seemed to be enjoying it immensely.

As a large group of elderly wizards put in their names and sat down, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny moved forward.

"How may I help you?" the hostess asked with a warm smile when they reached her; she couldn't have been much older than Harry.

"Yes, I have a reservation," Harry said.

"Okay, and what's your name?" she asked politely, taking out her quill and list of names.

"Er, Potter. It's under Potter."

The woman dropped her quill and stared at him in shock. "Potter?" she whispered in shock. "As in _Harry_ Potter?"

Harry gulped. "Yeah," he said hesitantly.

The hostess continued to stare, and Harry thought she might do it all night – or until Ginny yelled at her, at least – but then an older witch walked by bearing the name tag "Manager," and the hostess quickly snapped back into reality.

"Right. Potter..." She ran her quill down the list until she reached his name. "Potter, reservation for four. All right, I'll call your name when the next table becomes available." She scratched off his name and smiled again, but this time she looked a bit more nervous.

Ginny rolled her eyes and steered him away to find a bench to sit and wait. Ron had a hand over his mouth, trying really hard not to laugh. Hermione was looking at him somewhat sympathetically, but Harry felt it didn't have quite the desired effect because of the amused look in her eyes. Harry ignored them all and was about to state plainly that he was hungry just for a change of subject, when a particularly loud wail emitted from a hag statue a few feet away. Harry watched as one of the elderly wizards appeared to be having a heart attack (though the man quickly recovered) and wondered who on earth would want to eat at a place where really ugly ladies with huge noses shriek loudly at any given moment.

"Maybe the cooks put something in their food," Ginny whispered conspiratorially, apparently thinking the same thing.

"If we go back now, we might be able to sneak out undetected," Harry whispered back, looking over his shoulder as if he'd heard something.

Ron laughed at their antics and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, you two, I would think you would mature more, not digress five years," she said with an impatient air, but Harry saw the corners of her mouth twitch.

"Well, I've been at Hogwarts teaching little first and second years, what do you expect?" Harry asked.

"I would expect you to learn responsibility and-"

"Potter, party of four?" the hostess called. "Potter?"

Harry groaned and looked at Ginny despairingly before heading up to the hostess, trying hard to not listen to the whispers following in his wake.

"Did they say Potter?"

"_Harry_ Potter? The one who killed You-Know-Who?"

"Well, what other Potter would it be? It has to be him!"

"Do you think he'll sign my hat?"

"Where's he sitting? I want to sit by him!"

"Oh, I knew I should have brought my camera!"

Ginny pulled Harry away from the crowd - which consisted mostly of girls, much to her aggravation - and they followed the hostess quickly past a screaming hag and under a few sheep stomach lanterns until they reached a nice booth in one of the corners.

"Is this table all right?" the hostess asked worriedly.

Harry nodded, noting that they couldn't hear the screaming hags and it was far enough away that people wouldn't notice him. "It's perfect," he said politely, making her blush.

She looked immensely relieved. "I'm glad." She waited for the four to slide into their seats before handing them each a menu. "Your server will be right with you," she said, and returned to the front.

Finally Ron couldn't take it anymore and burst with laughter. "I don't know how you do it, Harry," he said through his sniggers.

"Well, at least with you being in Quidditch, you'll get to know a bit of what I have to go through," Harry said, grinning evilly as Ron suddenly gulped and quieted.

"Well," Ginny said brightly, "at least you work as Hogwarts, so you don't have to deal with it much."

Harry snorted at that. "Ah yes, I won't have to worry about it at all when they're all scared of me and whisper behind my back constantly. I can barely teach!"

"Have you ever… you know… done that thing?" Ron asked, leaning forward.

Harry grinned. "What? You mean this?" He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, Ron drew back and Hermione gasped, while Ginny just laughed.

"Don't _do_ that!" Hermione scolded, and Harry just laughed, picking up a spoon to look at his reflection. Sure enough, his eyes were glowing bright green. He watched as it slowly dimmed until his eyes turned back to normal. Ron and Hermione sighed with relief.

"How long have you been able to do that so easily?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Oh, about six months. Not long," Harry said airily.

"Can you do anything else?" Ron asked eagerly. Harry felt like he was putting on a show, but he didn't mind, seeing as it was just him and his best friends.

"Yeah, it was the oddest thing," Harry said, trying not to smile as he improvised. "The other day as I was kissing Ginny-"

"Okay, never mind. I don't want to know," said Ron, making a face. "I don't care if you've been dating for years. Best friend and sister… it's just wrong to think about that."

"_Anyway,_" Hermione said. "Speaking of teaching, how's it going?"

Harry smiled. "It's been great. I can't believe I have already been teaching for two years, counting seventh year, of course."

"I guess there really was a curse on the job," Ron said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "No one could hold it down for more than a year after Tom was refused the position and now that he's gone, I've kept it for two."

"And still going strong," Ginny added. Harry smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Hey, Ginny," Ron said curiously, "what are you going to do for a job?"

Harry smiled, already knowing the answer. She had already told him a while ago because she'd needed a bit of help, but he supposed she hadn't told anyone else to keep it a surprise.

"I've already got a job set up with the Daily Prophet," Ginny said. "I've got my own column."

"Really!" Hermione said with pleased surprise. "And how did you land that?"

Ginny smiled. "Dating 'the Chosen One' has its advantages," she replied, giving Harry an affectionate kiss on the cheek, which caused both Harry and Ron to blush.

At that point the server came up to the table, pulling an everlasting ink-filled quill and a pad of parchment out of his pocket.

"Hello, my name's Tim and I'll be your server this evening. What can I get for you?" he asked pleasantly.

They all looked at each other and smiled embarrassedly. None of them had even opened their menus.

"I'll come back in a few minutes." He put the quill and pad away. "Do you want something to drink?"

Harry looked around at his friends and asked, "Four butterbeers?" They all nodded.

Tim smiled. "_Accio butterbeers!"_ he said, pointing his wand toward a door a few feet away. Four bottles of butterbeer came rushing out, and he slowed them down before catching them and placing them on the table.

They all muttered their thanks and opened their menus as Tim walked over to attend to another table nearby.

"Well, I guess you were right, Hermione," Ginny commented. "The food does seem to be pretty normal."

"Roasted horse meat? Fried pig hooves? This isn't exactly kosher," Harry said skeptically.

Ron laughed. "Looks like you got the fake menu, mate. They do that with all their customers – give one of them a fake menu and see if they try to actually order it." Harry sighed with relief.

"Hmm," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Sounds very… Fred and George-ish."

"Actually," Hermione spoke up, "they did help fund the place."

Ginny and Harry looked at her quizzically. "How do you know that?" Ginny asked.

"Well, a few people complained against this restaurant as being discriminatory toward hags, so they sent me out here to view their whole premises and all their records," Hermione explained. "I found some paperwork involving donations to the owner from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Once I saw that it was satisfactory, and actually quite interesting, I dragged Ron over here, and we quite liked it."

"What's the title of your job again, Hermione?" Harry asked, ignoring Ron's desperate warning look.

"Official Inspector and Regulator for Discriminated and Abused Creatures," Hermione said proudly, and Harry decided that he would never be able to remember that. "It's a lovely job. I get to travel and make protect creatures who aren't treated very nicely. My pay check is more than enough, and of course, there's all the benefits..."

Harry and Ginny nodded politely before turning back to Ginny's menu (Harry had set his down, lest he loose his appetite).

When they finally decided on what they wanted to eat, they waited for the server to come for a few moments, sipping their butterbeers and talking about nothing in particular. Finally the server arrived, taking their orders and leaving to tell the cooks.

"So," Ginny said as she and Harry looked between Ron and Hermione. They looked like an old couple. "How long have you two been dating, again?"

"Twenty three months," Hermione immediately answered. Harry smiled upon seeing Ron shrug his shoulders and shake his head disgustedly.

"You think too much," he said simply.

They laughed and talked until the food arrived. Then they fell silent, as they were all very hungry and the food had turned out to be very good. Harry had ordered a Cordon Bleu, which he had never tried, since they didn't serve it at Hogwarts, he didn't know how to make it when he was at his flat during holiday, and the Dursleys certainly never let him have any. He was enjoying it immensely, and so was Ginny, actually, who had liked his food better than her steak and kidney pie. "It just isn't like Mum made it," she had said simply, and promptly took half of Harry's food. Harry didn't say anything and didn't really care. He wouldn't have been able to finish it even if he'd tried.

Hermione had chosen to play it safe and go with the salad bar, but Harry thought she might have been having second thoughts when she saw that there really were fried pig hooves sitting inconspicuously next to the carrots.

Ron had dove right in to his beef stew the moment he'd gotten it, and had also eaten four rolls, an extra side of potatoes, and a slice of cheesecake by the time Harry, Ginny, and Hermione had had their fill of their meals.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he swallowed his fork," Ginny whispered in Harry's ear and they both laughed, stopping quickly when Ron asked him what was so funny.

They talked amiably for a while, waiting for a bill. Harry insisted he pay for it, using the rather feeble excuse that he had made the reservations, so he should deal with it. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny agreed anyway, wanting to leave before the server tempted them further with desert.

Once they'd gotten outside, Diagon Alley was considerably quieter, with noise only coming from the few pubs and restaurants, and a few wanderers who'd had a bit too much firewhisky.

"Well, I've got to get back to the Burrow. Dad threatened that if I didn't come home and clean my room before midnight, he'd kick me out," Ron explained sadly.

"Mate, why are you still living at home?" Harry asked. "I've told you countless times that you can stay in my flat. There's an extra room, and it's pretty nice…"

"I'll think about it," Ron said with a shrug. Harry let it drop, not wanting to pester him.

"Well, I've got some paperwork to do back at my cottage. I'll see you later, Ron," Hermione said, giving Ron a quick kiss. "And I'd better be seeing you two soon as well," she added sternly.

"Yeah, if you ever stop working!" Ginny said with a grin.

They all laughed and said their goodbyes. Hermione apparated away quickly, whereas Ron looked a bit reluctant to leave, but left with a _CRACK_ all the same. Harry took Ginny's hand and they disapparated, appearing in front of the Hogwarts gates.

The castle stood majestically on top of the hill, many of the windows twinkling brightly with firelight, while others lay dormant. The grounds were quiet and calm, and Harry couldn't help but think that the timing couldn't be more perfect as he opened the gate and followed her onto the grounds.

"Well, that was a fun evening," Ginny said with a pleasant sigh. "You weren't boring at all. I commend you." She curtsied slightly, holding her robes out to the sides like a dress.

"Thanks," Harry said nervously. Ginny looked at him with concern.

"Harry, are you okay?" she asked, taking his hand and looking at him closely.

Harry smiled. Merlin, he loved this girl! Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to… to talk to you about something."

"Okay, go on," she prodded curiously.

"Well, it's been a year since Voldemort fell," Harry said awkwardly, watching as Ginny nodded, "and I have a steady job, and you are legally an adult, and you're out of Hogwarts tomorrow…"

"Yes?" said Ginny when he was silent for a moment.

"Yes, well, I was wondering…" _Wondering, Potter? More like hoping against hope! _"if you would be willing to… er… marry me."

Harry stared at him as if she hadn't heard him. He didn't know if he could bring himself to repeat it, though, so he waited with baited breath.

Ginny looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, before I answer, I have to ask you a few questions."

Harry's heart sank. "Okay?" he asked in a higher voice than normal.

"First, have you asked my dad?"

Harry sighed with relief. "Yeah, I have."

"Alright, and do you know what this commitment entails?" Ginny continued.

"Er… yeah." Why was she asking him this? He wasn't an idiot! Not usually, anyway.

"Do you have plans for a family?"

Harry nodded firmly. They had already talked about that man times, and they both wanted lots of kids.

"Do you have a ring?"

Harry's eyes widened and he quickly shoved his hand into his pocket, withdrawing a simple, but dazzling gold ring with a small floating ruby and two diamonds set in it. He held it out to her, feeling like a three year old revealing a stolen cookie, but she just continued to look at him, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Are you going to get down on your knee?" she asked amusedly.

_Oh_, Harry thought stupidly. _Merlin, she got me good._ Well, he could play this game too.

"No," he said plainly, smiling slightly.

"Why not?" she asked, looking a bit disappointed.

"Because the grass is wet."

"Prat," she muttered to herself, though she knew full well he could hear her.

"Hey, I'm not the one leaving you hanging," Harry said sternly. "Are you going to answer or not?"

"Well," Ginny said dramatically, "I guess I might be _'willing'_ to marry you."

"Good," Harry said before grabbing her around the waist and kissing her soundly. Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer. He didn't think anything could go wrong with the world – nothing that he couldn't handle with Ginny by his side. Harry smiled inwardly, deciding that if he had used this memory when fighting Voldemort…

Well, let's just say that love conquers all.

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Author's Note (the last one for this story! -tear-) : So, how'd ya like it? If you have an answer to that question, please review! I'm considering writing a sequel in like August or something. Just a long one-shot to explain in further detail a few things, like the eyes! If you're curious about Harry's glowing eyes, you'll wanna keep track of my fics! CHECK MY PROFILE IF YOU WANNA KNOW ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING!

Until then, I'd like to express my thanks.

Special Thanks to : **_HoofsTails Gal_**, who has been my beta through this whole story, encoutaged me to keep writing it in the first place, introduced me to and is my one of my bestest friends! Thank you so much, Melissa!

Another special thanks to **_inky1216_** who beta-ed the last two chapters on an emergency basis, making it possible for me to post everything on time rather than next Monday! -claps- Thanks Nikki!

Now, for my anonymous reviewers, I couldn't possibly reply to all your reviews here, but I'm gonna list your names, because I couldn't reply to your reviews! Unless you left an e-mil, but I'm putting your name down anyway if you did.

Thank you to-

_daniherself, Melissa, Kayle/Grizgirl, like whoa, coley, jayley, Me, Kate, bug8, aardvark, lily 101, Chocolatier, Mary,Emily, Pooja_ (that was your name at one time, anyway!), _Joanna, lil' lu lu, eeek,_ and _sari._

There are SO many of you regular reviewers that I couldn't possibly list you all, but thank you so much! And thanks particularly to **Wolf's scream**, who wasn't afraid to question everything andmake me actually thin about what I was writing, even if I sometimes didn't seem to caretoo much for it!

Also, ifyou didn't see on my profile at some point, I have started a C2 called _"Good Clean HarryGinny",_ which is basically good HPGW fics that don't have too much swearing or alcohol, and NO sex (unless they're married and it doesn't actuallytalk about it, except for in a joking manner _very_ briefly.Graphic stuff is... EEEEWWW!). Click on the "C2" tab on my profile page to check it out! Anyway, thank you to:

**HoofsTails Gal**

**Mandatora**

**wishesanddreams**

**inky1216**

**and AnIrishLily**

They help me staff the C2, which I am forever grateful for! If any of you are interested in helping out, feel free to send me a message!

Okay, I really ought to be going now, but let me just say one last thing.

**Please review and CHECK MY PROFILE!**


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